HIEMA to Test Sirens in Hilo, Pāhoa

The Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency (HIEMA), together with the Hawai’i County Civil Defense Agency, will conduct siren testing at the following locations and times on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

• MacKenzie State Recreation Area—Pāhoa, Hawai’i
• Hilo Hillsides Estates—Hilo, Hawai’i

Residents nearby may hear the siren sound for 30 seconds to 3-minute intervals during the identified timeframe. Testing will include short blasts known as “burps.” During the tests, Emergency Management officials and technicians will be checking the functionality of the sirens.

These sirens were installed as part of HIEMA’s ongoing All-Hazard Outdoor Warning Siren Program. Other sirens will be updated, and new sirens installed, at various locations across the state under this program.

The All-Hazard Outdoor Siren Warning System for Public Safety is one part of Hawai’i’s Statewide Alert and Warning System used to notify the public during pending emergencies.

HIEMA encourages the public to make use of other supplemental methods of warning including signing up with the Hawai’i County Civil Defense mass emergency notification system called Blackboard Connect and utilizing NOAA Weather Radio.

Residents with concerns about the sirens or their operations, or with reports of siren malfunctions, may contact the Hawai’i County Civil Defense Agency at (808)-935-0031.