WILLOW SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) -- It was a test, and only a test.
But a radio operator's click on the wrong button Tuesday morning sent out a civil emergency warning to television and radio stations all across southwest Missouri, causing some jittery residents to phone authorities to find out what kind of crisis had befallen them.
''They went through the process, but hit the wrong button,'' said Robert Mouser, a spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. ''It was human error.''
Patrol Capt. Chris Ricks said the monthly test of the system is rotated among the different troops throughout the state. Tuesday's test was conducted by Troop G in Willow Springs.
While the audio portion of test made it clear there was no real emergency, there was no audio on the ''civil emergency'' message that scrolled across the screen during broadcasts from some television stations.
Ricks said there are two templates used to issue the warnings, one of which is marked RMT, for routine monthly test, and the other is marked CEM, for civil emergency message.
''We're using a new system, and the radio operator and chief met last night and went through the program,'' he said. ''The chief admitted that he pointed to the wrong template.''
Matt Brown, spokesman for the Springfield Police Department, said calls started pouring in to the station after the warning went out.
''All I know is the front desk called and said they were getting a lot of phone calls,'' he said. ''I had to track it down through another local media station and find out what was going on.''
He said the front desk was informed that there was a mistake, and passed the word on to concerned callers.
Ricks said some radio and TV stations also fielded calls from people who wanted to know what was going on. But he said nobody seemed too upset over the error.
''That's why we do the test,'' he said.
