Officials admit to alarm deficiencies

More troubling is finding that most people have no idea how to respond

If the tsunami warning sirens had sounded on Oct. 15, about 100 might not have gone off, because they are dependent on the electrical power grid, state officials acknowledged.

In addition, about 148 more emergency sirens are needed on the four main Hawaiian Islands to cover "gap areas."

However, scientists say a bigger issue, overshawdowing criticism over communications issues on Oct. 15, is that most people apparently do not know what to do if the sirens sound to signal a real tsunami.

Dan Walker, a tsunami adviser to the Oahu Civil Defense Agency, noted how people desperately called radio stations long after the magnitude-6.7 quake had struck to ask why the sirens didn't go off.

"If they are calling four hours later and asking if there's any chance of a tsunami, that shows that they haven't been properly educated," said Walker. "If we had had a significant tsunami -- even a highly localized tsunami in the Kailua-Kona area -- people did not respond properly. There would have been many lives lost."

A study published this year in the journal Natural Hazards found that only 13 percent of 516 adults interviewed in Hawaii knew what to do upon hearing the sirens, said Chris Gregg, associate professor of geology at East Tennessee State University and co-author of the report. Only one percent of 440 middle school students polled understood the system, he said.

Historically, only schools on the volcanically active Big Island have been required to undergo an earthquake drill. However, the state is planning on having all schools perform the test once a year beginning in December, said Glen Tatsuno, head of safety and security for the Department of Education.

"We got a wake-up call," he said. "If a big earthquake came, we are not going to be exempt."

Big Island residents who live in inundation zones should probably go to higher ground without waiting for the sirens after a severe earthquake, said Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

But the sirens should provide some warning for residents on Kauai, Oahu and Maui, who would probably be further away from a tsunami generated near the Big Island.

"Unfortunately, the bad news in this is the shaking that you felt on Oct. 15 on Oahu is actually stronger than the shaking you are likely to feel from an earthquake that generates a tsunami," he said.

Walker, the civil defense adviser, is chairing a Science Advisory Working Group going over all communication glitches experienced during the earthquake, as well as the public's response to it. By January, the group will make a number of recommendations to the state about how it could improve alert systems and boost public education.

"Hopefully we'll get everything done and out before we have a destructive tsunami, so that we can minimize the loss of life," he said.

Gov. Linda Lingle also formed a committee of state Civil Defense officials and broadcasters to look into improvements to the emergency broadcasting system to get information out to the public sooner, including messages that no tsunami was generated.

There was no information about Sunday's 6.7- and 6.0-magnitude earthquakes on KSSK, Oahu's official emergency broadcast station, until about 8 a.m., at least 45 minutes after the second quake.

The emergency sirens were instituted after a 1946 tsunami caused widespread destruction in Hilo. If the sirens sound, people are supposed to turn on their radios or TVs for updates. Information on how to respond to the sirens can be found in telephone books.

The 60-year-old system, which is tested monthly, still needs some upgrades, officials say.

At least 148 more sirens are needed to provide full state-wide coverage, and an additional 100 older sirens have been flagged for replacement because they lack backup power.

The state expects it will take more than seven years and nearly $19 million to upgrade the system, said George Burnett, telecommunications officer at state Civil Defense.

Officials would not disclose the individual communities not covered by the system, saying only that 47 sirens are needed on Oahu, 38 on Maui, 52 on the Big Island and 11 on Kauai. But they said coastal areas have priority for upgrades.

The state is also working to improve the sirens so they will be able to broadcast live voice messages. Sirens on the North Shore of Oahu already have that capability, which is used to warn residents of high surf in the winter.

The sirens are triggered automatically if an earthquake is large enough to generate a tsunami. The Oct. 15 quakes were below the threshold of 6.9.

Scientists are most concerned about educating the millions of visitors who come to the islands each year about the state's evacuation plans.

Following the quake, Walter Dudley, who teaches Marine Geology and Oceanography at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, said he was troubled to see "people walking near resorts not knowing what to do."

"We desperately need a tsunami educational program in this state," Dudley said. "But I think there's a certain mentality that we don't want to scare visitors away."

State tourism liaison Marsha Wienert said hotels are still reviewing their performance during the earthquake, but noted that all have "fabulous plans" to deal with a catastrophe. She said most hotels have a messaging system that allows staff to quickly alert guests of any emergency and prepare them for an evacuation.

Still, she said, "We are looking at all kinds of additional communication vehicles and improvements to what we have now."

Asked whether he'd be prepared to evacuate in an emergency, Edward Peterson, of Billings, Mo., looked at his wife and said: "I feel like I would have no clue."