On this week’s episode of the One O‘ahu Podcast, Department of Emergency Management (DEM) Acting Director Jennifer Walter joins host Brandi Higa to talk about the City’s new mass notification system, HNL Alert, how to sign up, and some preparation tips for you and your ‘ohana.
HNL Alert
The City and County of Honolulu unveiled a new mass notification system, HNL Alert, to allow residents and visitors to sign up for updates about severe weather, emergencies, and other important community news via text message, push notification, or email.
“HNL Alert is our brand new system that we’re going to use to send emergency information out to residents and visitors, as well as other information on City services that might be impacted like water main breaks or road closures,” said DEM Acting Director Jennifer Walter. “It’s a system that people need to sign up for but it’s totally flexible.”
HNL Alert replaces the City’s current HNL.Info Alerts.
Signing up for HNL Alert
There are two ways to sign up for HNL Alerts:
- Customized Alerts: Users can create an account at hnlalert.gov. With an account, users can select the topics they would like to be alerted about and pick any combination of text messages, email alerts, or push notifications from the Public Safety by Everbridge app. Residents can enter one or more addresses to get targeted alerts about events impacting specific areas as their home and workplace. Users can make changes to preferred alert topics or methods at any time.
- Urgent Alerts Only: Text “HNLALERT” to 888777 to quick subscribe and get the most important safety alerts by text. No registration needed!
HNL Alert is used in addition to emergency warning systems that don’t require sign up, such as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) that sound on mobile devices, sirens, and Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages that interrupt radio and TV. While these warning systems are intended for use during urgent emergencies, HNL Alert messages can keep residents and visitors informed about developing weather conditions and other situations affecting City services. HNL Alert messages can contain more details, include images and links to real-time information, and don’t disappear quickly from a mobile device. This means users have more time to read and understand the information or share it with others.
Be Prepared
O‘ahu is a beautiful place to live, but because of our isolated location we must always be prepared for emergencies.
“Hazards could happen any time,” explained Walter on the One O‘ahu Podcast. She goes on to say, “deciding what your baseline level of readiness is, is really important because ‘what can’t you live without’ and ‘what can be a last-minute action’ is really where I’d like to get people.”
More information about HNL Alert and the City’s alert and warning functions can be found at honolulu.gov/dem.
