Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency

 

Siren Test on December 1 Will Continue as Planned; Eruption Underscores Need to Regularly Test System

 For Immediate Release: Wednesday, November 30, 2022                                                                                        Release No. 2022-048

 

HONOLULU — Because the eruption of Mauna Loa volcano is not causing an imminent threat to communities on the Big Island, the monthly testing of the all-hazard Statewide Outdoor Warning Siren System will occur as scheduled on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022 at 11:45 a.m. The siren test will be coordinated with a test of the Live Audio Broadcast segment of the Emergency Alert System.

Officials of the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) considered postponing the test because of the eruption that started late on Nov. 27 if there was a chance it could be confused with an actual emergency resulting from the eruption.

“We contacted our Hawai‘i County partners to see whether they were concerned that the test might confuse the public,” said Luke Myers, HI-EMA administrator. “But they made it clear they thought the test should go on this week to protect against future threats.”

No sirens have been activated during the current Mauna Loa eruption because the lava was not an imminent threat to communities. Although slow-moving lava still presents a potential threat to the Daniel K. Inouye Highway (Saddle Road) and areas further downhill, the molten rock now is moving at less than a mile an hour in wide open high country. HI-EMA is working with its partners to monitor the lava and plan for any consequences of the eruption.

In the meantime, the siren test will be conducted as usual, just as it is on the first business day of each month.

During the monthly test on Thursday, all Statewide Outdoor Warning Sirens will sound a one-minute Attention Alert Signal (SteadyTone). A test of the Live Audio Broadcast segment of the Emergency Alert System is conducted at roughly the same time as the monthly siren sounding, in cooperation with Hawaii’s broadcast industry. There will be no exercise or drill accompanying the test.

The public may contact emergency management and county civil defense agencies to report siren operation issues through the following numbers.

City and County of Honolulu: (808) 723-8960
Maui County: (808) 270-7285
Kauaʻi County: (808) 241-1800
Hawaiʻi County: (808) 935-0031

For more siren info, including video and photos:

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Contact:

Adam Weintraub
Communication Director

[email protected]
808-620-5417