Emergency Alert System Hawaii: The Overview

Hawaii is gorgeous and heavenly. However, the island is vulnerable to various natural disasters. This is because this island is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, in the middle of the ocean, and far from nowhere. Thankfully, the Emergency Alert System Hawaii is robust and efficient. 

Therefore, Hawaiians or those holidaying on the island can get timely warnings and emergency information or instructions from the local government. Consequently, they know what to do during an extreme event.

Natural Hazards in Hawaii

Hawaii is susceptible to several natural disasters. Therefore, the Hawaiian government prepares the best emergency warning system Hawaii to minimize the fatalities of those disasters. What are those hazards? 

1. Earthquakes and Tsunamis

As an island located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, Hawaii experienced thousands of earthquakes each year. They are volcanic and tectonic earthquakes. Volcanic quakes strike the island when volcanic activities are increasing. 

Meanwhile, tectonic earthquakes occur due to tectonic movements, such as subductions. Large earthquakes, similar to the 2018 Hawaii earthquake, can damage infrastructures, cause landslides, and kill many people. 

In addition, they can trigger tsunamis. In the last few decades, tsunamis have swept the island. Some of them were destructive. They also killed many people and inundated a large area.

2. Hurricanes

Hurricanes are also common in Hawaii. Several destructive hurricanes, such as Hurricane Iwa in 1982 and Hurricane Iniki in 1992, have struck the island. Hurricane Iniki was extremely powerful because it was a Category 4 hurricane.

Hurricanes in Hawaii typically occur between October and March. The high winds of hurricanes can cause infrastructure damage and economic loss. In addition, they trigger storm surges and flooding in coastal areas.

3. Volcanic Eruptions

For a small island, Hawaii has many active volcanoes. They are Kilauea, Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Kama'ehuakanaloa. Mount Kilauea is the most active among them. Meanwhile, Kama'ehuakanaloa is a submarine volcano.

The volcanic activities of those volcanoes have damaged parts of the island several times. In 1983 and 1993, Kilauea erupted and destroyed almost 200 homes within its eruption radius.

The Overview of Emergency Alert System Hawaii

As part of the United States of America, the Hawaii Emergency Alert System is similar to that of the US. The system consists of several components.

1. Outdoor Sirens

The outdoor siren warning system in Hawaii is the largest in the world. There is a siren within each 3400-ft radius. Outdoor sirens will emit a Hawaii emergency alert sound every time an extreme event caused by a natural disaster or human activity occurs.

The siren sound is 121 decibels. Therefore, people within the siren radius will not miss this sound. When they hear this sound, they must immediately turn on their local TV channel or radio station to find emergency information and instructions.

2. EAS

EAS or Emergency Alert System is the national public warning system in the US. This system allows the state and local government or authorities to broadcast emergency alert information via various channels.

During an extreme event, TV channels and radio stations in Hawaii will display emergency information alerts for ten minutes. The warnings are typically AMBER or weather alerts for people in the affected areas. After that, they will continue airing their programs.

3. WEA

Another component of the Emergency Alert System Hawaii is WEA (wireless emergency alerts). WEA will send text and audio warnings via cell phones and landlines to the entire population. 

However, Hawaiian residents will not get these warnings if they do not subscribe to the emergency alert service. On February 7, 2025, the local government urges the residents of the island to subscribe to this service. 

Residents can choose their preferred information channel when they subscribe to this service. After subscribing, they can get the latest information on emergency events and stay safe during natural hazardous events.

Hawaii Emergency Alert Test

Each month, the local government of Hawaii conducts an emergency siren test. The schedule of this test is on the first business day of each month at 11.45 a.m. During this scheduled time, all sirens on the island will produce a siren sound for one minute.

This siren sound is only a test alert. Therefore, residents and tourists in Hawaii must not get panicked when they hear the sound. However, they must check for a warning message on TVs, radios, or cellphones if the outdoor sirens produce warning sounds outside this schedule. 

The Emergency Alert System Hawaii is robust and efficient. It consists of several components. One of the best components is the outdoor siren system. They will emit alerting sounds every time there is an extreme event caused by a natural disaster. They also ring a test alert each month.