Hawaii County Civil Defense has a new way to disperse emergency information to the public.
The county on Friday entered an agreement with Na Leo TV to broadcast live emergency updates via Oceanic Time Warner Cable on public access channel 55 as well as online.
Under the agreement, Civil Defense can immediately interrupt regular programming to air live emergency announcements when it deems necessary, Na Leo TV President and CEO Stacy Higa said. The agency also can enact a written “scroll” on Na Leo TV channels 55, 54 and 53.
The television broadcasts could reach up to 46,000 households via the Oceanic Time Warner Cable system as of December 2015, Higa said, and even more via its website.
“This is such a big island with such a huge geographic area, and we wanted to (provide) a way to make an impact,” Higa said. “It’s limited in that cable doesn’t reach every household on our island, but we feel it reaches a substantial amount of viewers … . We’re letting the Civil Defense manage it, so anytime they feel it’s warranted, they have the ability to go live and talk to people.”
The new technology could be used soon. Forecasts show two hurricanes are headed near — or over — Hawaii Island this week. On Monday, Hurricane Madeline was predicted to pass south of the Big Island late Wednesday or early Thursday. Hurricane Lester could approach the island by Saturday.
Civil Defense will use its discretion when choosing when to broadcast, Interim Civil Defense Administrator Ed Teixeira said. The agreement allows for emergency use, he said, which could be for various hazards “we think are at the level where the public should know.”
“It depends. When you talk about flood watches and warnings, I’m kind of hedging,” Teixeira said. “ … But run-off in gulches, seismic incidents, tsunamis, these two (impending) storms — this could be used as a tool.
“We are so appreciative of this particular resource,” he added. “We think this is a real boon for public information. Where it’s going to pay off for us is in the areas where radio and television reception may be kind of weak but through the web it might be OK.”
Na Leo TV spent about $25,000 purchasing new equipment, Higa said, which it’s lending to the county per terms of the agreement. The county is providing the necessary bandwidth and ability to transmit the signal.
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
