Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi GabbardRepublicans call on DOJ to investigate Netflix over 'Cuties' film Hispanic Caucus campaign arm endorses slate of non-Hispanic candidates Gabbard says she 'was not invited to participate in any way' in Democratic convention MORE (D) said Saturday that the false alarm sent to Hawaii residents warning of an incoming ballistic missile was a "taste of the stark reality" of the nuclear threat facing the state.

“The people of Hawaii just got a taste of the stark reality of what we face here of a potential nuclear strike on Hawaii," Gabbard said during a phone interview on CNN minutes after the alert was broadcast across the islands.

“This is a real threat facing Hawaii," she said.

ADVERTISEMENT

The message warned of an incoming missile threat and urged people in Hawaii to take cover. An official correction for the message, which was also sent to mobile phones, did not come for another 38 minutes.

Gabbard was among the first to alert residents on social media that the message was a "false alarm," tweeting that she had "confirmed with officials" that there was no missile inbound.

The false alarm came as Hawaii has been testing its emergency management system for a possible missile launch from North Korea, which has repeatedly threatened the U.S. with multiple tests in the past year.

Gabbard criticized President Trump Donald John TrumpObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE for his administration's response to North Korea's past provocations during her CNN interview Saturday.