MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, together with your Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency, will conduct siren testing on Friday, September 20, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the following locations:

• Mackenzie State Recreation Area – Pahoa, HI
• Hilo Hillsides Estates – Hilo, HI

Residents nearby may hear the siren sound for 30-second to 3-minute intervals or hear short blasts known as ‘Burps’ during the timeframe.  These tests are necessary to ensure that newly installed sirens are working properly.

These sirens were installed as part of the State’s ongoing All-Hazard Outdoor Warning Siren Program.  Under this program other sirens will be updated and new sirens installed at various locations across the island.

The All-Hazard Outdoor Siren Warning System is one part of Hawaii’s statewide alert warning system that is used to notify the public during pending or actual emergencies.

We encourage you to make use of other supplemental methods of warning including signing up with the Hawaii County Civil Defense mass emergency notification system provided by Everbridge, or utilizing NOAA Weather Radio.