Alert system
tailored for isle
emergenciesFrom missing children to bad
weather, the public will know fast
The state started an integrated Emergency Alert System yesterday on Oahu that consolidates efforts to inform the public on dangerous weather conditions, child abductions and national or local emergencies.
"The streamlined plan now fits Hawaii better than the previous standard operating procedure. It's like a tailor-made suit," said Ray Lovell, telecommunications planner of the state civil defense.
The system can be used to save lives, whether it be in the event of a hurricane or the disappearance of a child, said Courtney Harrington, State Emergency Communications Committee chairman.
It allows police and civil defense officials to quickly post emergency alerts on radio and television stations and on electronic highway billboards, officials said. The system is also part of the national network that enables the president to address the nation during periods of national emergency.
One component of the new system is the MAILE Alert (Minor Abducted in Life-threatening Emergency), which informs the public about abducted children. The alert is named after Maile Gilbert, a 6-year-old Kailua girl who was abducted and murdered in 1986.
The Honolulu Police Department began the MAILE Alert program in December, but under the previous system, police would call the radio and TV stations individually. Now, police from the Missing Persons Detail can issue a MAILE Alert by transmitting a special code from a communications box attached to a computer at the police station. The code transmits the message to TV and radio stations and state electronic highway signs simultaneously.
"We are excited because there won't be a loss of time," said Renette Parker, state interim coordinator for the missing-child center. "The first three hours after abduction are critical, and community awareness is essential."
A 13-page plan gives radio or TV operators instructions on when to operate the system and decipher the emergency codes, said Lovell. The coded messages and voice-recorded warnings sent to broadcast stations can be aired immediately or at the station's discretion, depending on the level of danger, he said.
For example, a message from the president would interrupt all programming, but a message about a severe thunderstorm warning could be aired after a commercial, said Lovell.
The standard codes and boxes are being updated on the neighbor islands, and officials hope to have the MAILE Alert system operating on other islands soon.
The MAILE Alert is patterned after the national AMBER Alert system, which is in use in 48 states and is credited with the recovery of 72 children since 2002.
Last week, California police said intense media coverage rattled suspect Enrique Sosa Alvarez enough to release the 9-year-old girl he allegedly kidnapped in San Jose.
The decision to issue a MAILE Alert is based on a strict set of criteria and used when a child is in immediate danger of bodily harm, said Parker.