Monthly siren, emergency alert system test scheduled for Wednesday

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect the correct day of the scheduled test.

Hawai‘i’s monthly test of the all-hazard Statewide Outdoor Warning Siren System is scheduled for Wednesday 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.

During this monthly test, all Statewide Outdoor Warning Sirens will sound a one-minute Attention Alert Signal (steady tone). 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 the Hawai‘i broadcast industry. There will be no exercise or drill accompanying the test.

The all-hazard Outdoor Siren Warning System for Public Safety is one part of the Hawai‘i Statewide Alert and Warning System used to notify the public during emergencies. If you hear this siren tone in circumstances other than a test, follow emergency information and instructions provided by official government channels. These may be in the form of a local radio or television station broadcast, and/or a cellular Wireless Emergency Alert.

Wireless Emergency Alerts deliver sound-and-text warnings to compatible mobile cellular phones. The Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alert notifications are sent via the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, the nation’s alert and warning infrastructure, managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Oʻahu residents and visitors in areas surrounding Campbell Industrial Park may also hear a “whooping” tone following the siren test. These areas include portions of Kalaeloa, Makakilo, Nānākuli, Kapolei, and ‘Ewa Beach. The “whooping” tone is a test of the Hazardous Materials siren warning group that would be activated in the event of an actual HAZMAT incident requiring emergency notification of businesses, schools, residents, and visitors in the vicinity of Campbell Industrial Park. Contact the City and County of Honolulu Department of Emergency Management at 808-723-8960 for more information on the HAZMAT warning group siren test.

Emergency management and disaster preparedness information may be found in the front section of telephone directories in most counties as well as online in the “Get Ready” section of ready.hawaii.gov. For the latest information from the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency, or to sign up for county alerts, visit ready.hawaii.gov.

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