Siren and Emergency Alert System Test, Feb. 1, 2016

Maui siren. File photo by Wendy Osher.

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency monthly test of the statewide outdoor siren warning system is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016.

The siren test is a steady one minute tone on all sirens that is used to alert the public to any emergency that may pose a threat to life and property. Besides natural hazards, the Emergency Alert System could be used for terrorist incidents or acts of war.

When the siren signal is sounded in your area, the public is advised to tune to any local radio or television station for emergency information and instructions broadcast by civil defense agencies.  Participating stations will carry a detailed explanation of what the sirens mean, as well as other related information, during the monthly test.

Tests of civil defense sirens and the Emergency Alert System are conducted simultaneously, normally on the first working day of the month, in cooperation with Hawaiʻi’s broadcasting industry.