A Hawaii emergency communications committee said the state needs ...
A Hawaii emergency communications committee said the state needs to revise its emergency communications procedures to take into account the likelihood that telephone communications may be impaired or not be available during disasters and emergencies. The panel formed by…
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Gov. Linda Lingle (R) last year said that while Hawaiian Telecom’s landline service was unaffected by the quakes that hit the Big Island, cellphone providers lost about 1/2 their cell sites in the quake-affected areas. The cell sites that stayed up, the report said, labored under call volumes more than double normal levels, and phone networks statewide experienced sharp increases in traffic volume. Cellular carriers’ efforts to restore service, said the report, were hampered by traffic jams. The report noted wireless text messages often got through even when voice service wasn’t working, and suggested that the state study use of text messaging to transmit emergency notices to responders or to the public. The report urged the state to improve communications between emergency management agencies and the major media outlets through dedicated phone links, call-in numbers or dedicated websites. The report also recommended further study of using the broadcast Emergency Alert System, now used to warn TV and radio audiences of dangerous weather conditions, for disseminating other emergency alerts and warnings.