Waiehu Siren Overnight Malfunction

By Wendy Osher

Maui siren. File photo by Wendy Osher.

A siren malfunction was reported early Thursday morning (December 22, 2011) in Waiehu on Maui.

Officials with the Maui Civil Defense agency say the incident occurred at around 2 a.m. at a single siren located off of Waiehu Beach Road.

The sound of the siren could be heard as far away as parts of the Maui Lani subdivision in Kahului, and with more clarity at Waiehu Terrace.

Maui Civil Defense Emergency Management Officer, Anna Foust, said crews were able to cancel the tone and issue an advisory to inform the public that there was no emergency.

It is unknown at this time what caused the malfunction.

Civil Defense authorities say the tone is used to alert the public to any emergency that may pose a threat to life and property. Besides natural and technological hazards, the Emergency Alert System could be used for terrorist incidents or acts of war.

When a true activation of the sirens occur, a corresponding message is supposed to be played over the Emergency Alert System on participating radio and television broadcast stations, consisting of emergency information and instructions broadcast by civil defense agencies.

Maui residents can sign up for emergency warning notifications via email or text messaging via the County of Maui website at http://www.mauicounty.gov/.

To register, click on “email notifications” in the left hand column, enter your email address, indicate if you want email notifications or a text message on your mobile phone, and select Emergency Civil Defense Notifications.

By subscribing to this list you will receive Civil Defense emergency notifications (warnings) when they occur.