Hawaii is now starting to prepare for a nuclear attack. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, Hawaii will begin monthly testing of a nuclear warning siren system. These nuclear sirens aim to alarm residents of threatening nuclear missile strikes.

According to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, the testing of nuclear signs will commence during the monthly tests of the overall statewide warning siren system. On the first business days of every month, a steady alert signal will blare from speakers for a duration of 50 seconds, continued by a 10-second pause and then a wailing attack warning signal for 50 seconds. In preparation for an actual attack, the 1.4 million residents dwelling in Hawaii are expected to seek safe shelter immediately upon hearing the attack warning signal. In addition to that, an emergency alert system will broadcast warnings on television and on radio.

A quick and efficient warning is essential for the Hawaiian Islands, which sit just about 4,661 miles away from North Korea. The Aloha State would only have about a 20-minute pre-warning before a missile launched by Kim Jong Un’s regime hits the islands. According to Vern Miyagi, administrator for Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency, “Pacific Command would take about five minutes to characterize a launch, where the missile is going which means the population would have about 15 minutes to take shelter. It’s not much time at all. But it is enough time to give yourself a chance to survive.”

In a recent statement, a top South Korean minister claimed that North Korea may be able to pair a nuclear warhead with a long-range ballistic missile as early as 2018. According to Cho Myoung-gyon, an unification minister, “They have been developing their nuclear capabilities faster than expected. We cannot rule out the possibility of North Korea declaring the completion of their nuclear program next year.”

Hawaii’s emergency plan doesn’t call for a mass relocation or evacuation of the islands as there wouldn’t be sufficient time with a 20-minute warning. Nor does it call for placing people in fallout shelters. Because of this, residents are instructed to go inside and remain sheltered for 14 days or until they are told it’s safe to leave, in case of an actual nuclear strike. While in shelter, residents are instructed to listen to local Am-Fm radio stations for official news.