Ask the Mayor: What If We Can’t Hear Attack Warning Siren?

Emergency Management Agency Siren, Maui. Photo by Wendy Osher.

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the questions submitted to his staff.

Submit your own questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa at [email protected], (808) 270-7855 or mail them to 200 S. High St., 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793.

Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column.

Mayor Arakawa:

Q: During the last test of the Civil Defense sirens, including the new “attack” warning siren, my friends and family reported that the sirens were difficult to hear from where they were situated. If that’s the case and we do actually have an incoming missile from North Korea, how are supposed to know?

A: It’s important to note that the sirens tested monthly are intended to provide a warning to those who are outdoors.

There are also several other warning points to alert us of an emergency or impending attack including the alerts on your cell phone, known as the Wireless Alert System (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which triggers radio and TV messages.

For comprehensive emergency management information, visit www.mauicounty.gov/emergency, and residents should take a few moments to subscribe to Maui County’s “Maka‘ala” Emergency Alert System at www.mauicounty.gov/emergencyalerts. You can customize which types of alerts you’d like to receive and in which manner, from texts or calls to your cell phone, home or office phones or a fax, email or all of the above.

In the unlikely event of an impending missile attack, take immediate action by seeking shelter, staying inside, then tuning in for details.

Hopefully we will never have to face this type of emergency, but if we do, it’s best to be prepared and to follow these three steps: Get inside… Stay inside… Stay tuned.