By Staff Reports
(Maui) – The Maui County Civil Defense Agency today announced that new sirens have been installed at various locations on Maui, with testing scheduled for next Wednesday, Feb. 24 and Thursday, Feb. 25.
The testing, which is being conducted by Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA), which coordinates the sirens throughout the state, will be conducted at the following dates and times as follows:
Wednesday, Feb. 24 (9 a.m. – noon)
- D.T. Fleming Beach Park, Kapalua
Thursday, Feb. 25 (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
- Wailea-Makena, Wailea/Kihei
- Richard Pablo Caldito Sr. Park (formerly Waihee Ball Park), Wailuku
- Waiehu Heights, Wailuku
- Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, Kahului
Residents nearby may hear the siren sound six to eight times for 30-second to one-minute intervals during the identified timeframe. Testing will include short blasts known as “burps.” During the tests, emergency management officials and technicians will check that installation work on this siren has been completed properly. Questions regarding the tests should be directed to the Maui County Civil Defense Agency at (808) 270-7285.
“The installation of the new sirens is part of a statewide project to update older sirens as well as to increase overall siren coverage by putting in additional sirens,” said Anna Foust, Maui County Emergency Management Officer. “We are pleased to see progress on the repair, replacement and installation of sirens on Maui. The sirens are an integral part of our warning system, which also includes Civil Air Patrol flyovers, phone, text, email, and radio. Having more tools in the toolbox enhances public safety and increases our ability to notify people throughout our County of impending threats.”
HI-EMA also encourages the public to make use of supplemental methods of warning including, but not limited to, Maui County’s mass text notification system, Makaala Alerts (www.mauicounty.gov/civildefense) and NOAA Weather Radio.