#Disaster Preparedness

The monthly test of the all-hazard Statewide Outdoor Warning Siren System is scheduled for Monday, June 1, 2026, at 11:45 a.m. The siren test will be coordinated with a test of the Live Audio Broadcast segment of the Emergency Alert System.

The National Disaster Preparedness Training Center at the University of Hawaiʻi recognized the County of Maui with the 2026 Community Resilience Leadership Award — marking the first time in the center’s history that the honor has been awarded to an entire county government.

The monthly test of the all-hazard Statewide Outdoor Warning Siren System is scheduled for Friday, May 1, 2026, at 11:45 a.m. The siren test will be coordinated with a test of the Live Audio Broadcast segment of the Emergency Alert System.

A plan to use $130 million from the state’s first climate impact tax got the full backing of lawmakers on the critical House Finance Committee. Now it heads to the Senate.

The monthly test of the all-hazard statewide Outdoor Siren Warning System, along with the live audio broadcast segment of the Emergency Alert System, is set for 11:45 a.m. Monday, March 2. 

On Tuesday, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the Office of Wellness and Resilience under the Office of the Governor launched the dashboard, which features in-depth findings on social, economic, and health issues affecting the state’s residents.

Over 200 students from Lahainaluna High School on Maui are enrolled in a new emergency readiness curriculum running through this Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, organized by Hawai‘i workforce development nonprofit ClimbHI with the support of the Maui Strong Fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.

Within days of the worst natural disaster in state history, University of Hawaiʻi researchers began providing assistance and support on multiple fronts, including providing direct support and assessing the environmental impact and the long-term health outcomes of residents. They have also studied how to improve disaster preparedness and wildfire mitigation efforts and worked to determine the short- and long-term economic impacts.

In Kauaʻi County’s efforts to reduce fire risk and fuel sources, Mayor Kawakami announced this year’s budget will include $2.7 million in heavy equipment for Kauaʻi road crews to help manage vegetation, and added $1.5 million to cover costs to clear brush and large debris from county properties. The Kaua‘i Fire Department will also acquire two water tenders and a brush fire-fighting apparatus to enhance fire response.

The University of Hawai‘i Maui County Extension Youth Development Program is offering Teen Disaster Preparedness training program for youths 13 to 18 years old. The training will be held from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. March 18-21 at the Kahului Cooperative Extension Community Services building.

In light of the recent wildfires on Maui and in Mililani Mauka and the continued forecast for drought conditions throughout the state, both state and city leaders hosted a Wildfire Prevention and Disaster Preparedness Workshop.

More than 100 students from 14 schools statewide have begun the first federal disaster response training program in Hawai‘i that is dedicated to youth.

Less than one-third (29%) of those surveyed have yet to create a comprehensive emergency plan for natural disasters, while just 1 in 10 have embraced modern tools such as disaster-related apps or text notifications from official national disaster resource agencies. And only 10% of older adults follow national disaster resource organizations on social media such as FEMA, American Red Cross and The Salvation Army.

The Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency launched an outreach campaign for National Preparedness Month with the tagline “Donʻt Get Scared — Get Prepared.”

The series of disaster preparation webinars starts Wednesday, July 21 and continues each Wednesday at 2 p.m. until Aug. 11.

Governor David Ige joined seven other governors for a discussion on workforce development with President Trump and Secretary of Labor Acosta at the White House.

The State of Hawaii named April as Tsunami Awareness Month in the 1990s. On April 1, 1946 a tsunami from the Aleutian islands surprised…

This portion of the interview discusses the common “natural warning signs” of tsunamis, what to do if a tsunami alert is issued or you think a local tsunami may have been generated, how to prepare for tsunamis and surprising facts…

A series of West Maui Community Disaster Planning Meetings will take place over the next three months, with the next meeting slated for Thursday, June 15…

Maui Civil Defense Agency and Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety will host Community Emergency Response Team or CERT training in Pukalani in September.