Like hundreds of thousands of others, Jim Carrey thought he was about to die.
Shortly after 8 a.m. on Jan. 13, Hawaii residents and visitors were awakened by a frightening text alert warning: "Emergency Alert: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL," the message read.
No one knew that it had been triggered accidentally. It took 38 minutes for a followup alert to reveal that it was a mistake and that lives were not in imminent danger.
The actor, like so many others, however, was prepared to face the end.
"I woke up this morning in Hawaii with ten minutes to live. It was a false alarm, but a real psychic warning," he tweeted later in the day, blaming Donald Trump and his political party for fueling tensions in the region. "If we allow this one-man Gomorrah and his corrupt Republican congress to continue alienating the world we are headed for suffering beyond all imagination."
Terrified civilians ran to bomb shelters and took cover, and tourists — including music legend Diana Ross and "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles" star Josh Flagg — were herded into hotel lobbies and basements. (A report that basketball legend Magic Johnson was also among those who took cover in a hotel basement appears to be false.)
Upon landing at LAX Airport in Los Angeles later that same day, Diana confirmed that she and her family received the missile alert. "We had to evacuate. We were very frightened," she told TMZ. "We went to the basement of a hotel. We were positive, then we were so happy." After about 30 minutes, they were told it was a false alarm. "It was really scary, but we're home now. All is well."
Bravo star Josh posted video of guests gathering in the lobby at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea on Saturday morning. "Weirdest thing. There is a missile threat in Hawaii right now. We have all had to evacuate the hotel. All guests in lobby," he captioned the Instagram clip.
According to Newsweek, TV shows including sporting events were interrupted on Saturday morning by a scrolling message warning people of the (false) impending threat, followed by a terrifying message: "The U.S. Pacific Command has detected a missile threat to Hawaii. A missile may impact on land or sea within minutes. This is not a drill," it said. "If you are indoors, stay indoors. If you are outdoors, seek immediate shelter in a building. Remain indoors well away from windows. If you are driving, pull safely to the side of the road and seek shelter in a building or lay on the floor. We will announce when the threat has ended. Take immediate action measures. This is not a drill."
Hawaiians take any warnings seriously as tensions with North Korea — which many, like Carrey, have blamed on Trump's comments and Twitter attacks on the nation's dynastic dictator, Kim Jong-un — have escalated in recent months. The Aloha State is considered to be a potential target as it's just 4,600 miles from the socialist nation, Newsweek points out.