Tsunami Siren Testing Today May Not Validate Actual Emergency Situation

I wonder why I get emergency emails from the county hours after I get them via Hawaii Nixle Emergency Alerts.

The most recent Nixle “EMERGENCY ALERT” paid for with our tax dollars.

Of course I find it funny that the Hawaii County Police Department would use an emergency alert service like Nixel to promote it’s self at times by posting thing like “Police Officer of the Month” on an emergency service.  Lord knows if we as the public used a service like 911 to promote ourselves all hell would break out.

Then again… I didn’t get anything via Nixle the night of the Tsunami Evacuations!

If folks are relying on email for emergency notifications… it may be too late when a real emergency does happen!  I’m gonna depend on myself for notices until the county get’s the kinks worked out.

The Sirens will be tested today with county workers stationed at each siren.

I guarantee they will report that the Pahoa Siren closest to my house is functioning properly (as it always does on the drill days)

I know for a fact that Pahoa’s siren didn’t go off until about 9:15 at night more then two hours after I posted the warning on my site.

Having County workers standing by at these sirens tomorrow won’t prove much I expect…. as I expect my siren to go off as usual during a warning.

WILL IT GO OFF DURING A REAL EMERGENCY?

There was a moral to the story of the boy who called wolf!

Related articles

• What Happened to the Civil Defense Sirens During Last Nights Tsunami Warnings (damontucker.com)
• Commentary on Tsunami Sirens by Councilman Pete Hoffmann – “The Sounds of Silence” (damontucker.com)
• Public asked to report non-functioning sirens (kitv.com)
• County of Hawaii: “Technical Challenges Initially With Our Siren System During Last Night’s Tsunami Warning” (damontucker.com)
• Public Urged to Contact Civil Defense re. Siren Failures (hawaiireporter.com)

Adopt a Tsunami Siren

NEW! Adopt-A-Siren Smartphone APP: Adopt-A-Siren: http://sirens.honolulu.gov/ Allows users to adopt a tsunami siren in their neighborhood. They will take responsibility for the siren by checking to ensure its functuality and report on the status of the siren to the City. The application also allows users to name their siren and receive an email notification alerting them when the siren will be tested.

Siren Malfunction: If the siren in your community does not sound or does not operate properly please call the Department of Emergency Management at 723-8960 to report it. You can also email the department at dem@honolulu.gov. With more than 170 outdoor warning sirens on Oahu we appreciate the public’s assistance in identifying problem units.

Siren Damage or Vandalism: You can help us to safeguard our Outdoor Siren Warning System. Please report any acts of vandalism, damages, or missing sirens or components to the Department of Emergency Management at 723-8960. You can also email the department at dem@honolulu.gov and include any images you may have of the siren in question. Any suspicious activity should be reported immediately to the Honolulu Police Department by calling 911.

Residents now have the option of reporting malfunctioning or vandalized sirens on-line. Visit the City’s Siren Trouble Report page at http://www3.honolulu.gov/DEMSiren/ to file your report as well as upload pictures.

Remember, important emergency information including evacuation maps can be found in the Hawaiian Telecom and Paradise Pages telephone directories or on our website at http://www.oahuDEM.org.

Related articles

• Tech ‘glitch’ causes 8 sirens to sound; no emergency exists (staradvertiser.com)
• Malfunctioning sirens wake up some Oahu residents (kitv.com)
• Rude Awakening in Honolulu, Hawaii, June 14, 2011 (ireport.cnn.com)

Was It Really Necessary to Have Two Siren Blasts Each Time?

I think the Big Island folks that were in charge of this recent tsunami evacuation did a pretty good job of keeping folks informed of things.

I will say that other islands seemed to have much more information available to them as even Mayor Mufi Hanneman was using social media to send out messages!

I understand the need to alert folks of an upcoming tsunami, but was it really necessary to blasts the sirens for as long as they did and have them doubled up like they were?

I’m still worried that at some point folks might just become a bit to complacent about the sirens.

There was a lesson to be learned in the Aesop’s Fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf“.