David Shortell is a crime and justice producer for CNN based in Washington. He was on a family trip to Hawaii, visiting his brother who lives in Honolulu, when the missile alert was sent Saturday.

Honolulu (CNN) It was a beautiful morning, like most, on the island of Oahu: 79 degrees with a big, bright sun. I was at a marina with my family on Kaneohe Bay, blowing the last bits of air into an orange inflatable raft, when the alert came. All caps: "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND ... NOT A DRILL."

I could feel the blood stand still in my body, the breath leaving my chest, a numbness coming over me. Is this really happening? I asked a man next to me, "You also get this?" He had. Others nearby started running. I did, too.

Find your family, I thought. My older brother, my mom and a cousin were at the car. Another cousin was missing. He's loading the boat, his wife said. I've been calling his name but I can't find him, she said. I ran for the dock. "Neal!" I shouted.

There he was. With no cell phone on him, he still had blue ocean on his mind, not impending death. I hustled him back to the car and read him the message. His jaw dropped.

Visitors to this marina in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, left the water and ran for cover after receiving the missile alert Saturday morning.

There was quiet and confusion. No alarms sounded or blared directions. Where do we go now? How long do we have? How long would it take for a missile to arrive from North Korea? The US would surely shoot it down, right?

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