Kauai sirens to sound Monday in monthly emergency test

Kauai families got a monthly reminder that a real warning can reach the island in seconds, as the statewide outdoor siren test was set for 11:45 a.m. Monday, June 1, alongside a test of the Emergency Alert System’s Live Audio Broadcast segment. The timing landed just as the central Pacific hurricane season began, and no exercise or drill accompanied the test.

That made the siren run more than background noise. It was a quick household readiness check for people across Kauai County to confirm that phones, radios and family plans were ready for the next hurricane, tsunami or other islandwide emergency. Hawaii Emergency Management Agency says the sirens and the Emergency Alert System are tested on the first business day of each month, a routine meant to keep the public familiar with the warning signals before they are needed for real.

The warning network is broad. The sirens are part of Hawaii’s Statewide Alert and Warning System, which also includes FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert & Warning System, Wireless Emergency Alerts and the Emergency Alert System. If a siren sounds outside the scheduled test, officials say the response is to tune into local radio, television or cable for official instructions, while alerts may also arrive on wireless phones. For parents, caregivers and beachgoers, that means checking now whether family plans are current, whether refuge or shelter options are known, and whether contact information is up to date in county or state notification systems.

HI-EMA says Hawaii has the largest single integrated outdoor siren warning system for public safety in the world. The sirens can be used for tsunamis, hurricanes, dam breaches, flooding, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, terrorist threats, hazardous material incidents and other hazards. They produce 121 decibels, with a manufacturer radius of 3,400 feet, though actual range varies with weather and terrain.

On Kauai, the County’s Emergency Management Agency says the siren system is owned and operated by HI-EMA, and its siren locations page includes an interactive map and siren-status information by island section. The county’s ALERT Kauai system, now on the Everbridge platform, can send notifications within minutes by phone, text and email for tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, flash flooding and other hazards. The message for island households was straightforward: know the siren, know the channels, and be ready to act when the sound is not part of a test.