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When You Can't Trust an Emergency Warning System

Updated: Jan 29


Clouds of Smoke from a forest fire on a hill where you cannot see the fire

Hawaii Emergency Warning System


In February 2023, Hawaii experienced a series of deadly wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced thousands of people.

The fires were caused by high winds and dry conditions, and they spread quickly through the island's forests and brush.


In the midst of the chaos, many residents were left wondering why the state's emergency siren warning system did not sound.


The system, which is the largest in the world, is designed to alert people to a variety of hazards, including wildfires.


Who needs to be "FIRED"

There are several reasons why the sirens did not sound during the wildfires. First, the system is designed to be used for specific types of emergencies, such as tsunamis and hurricanes.


Wildfires are not specifically included in the system's programming.


The Francesco Schettino Effect


Like with captain of the Costa Concordia, which capsized in January 2012 and who was known to have left a ship before all passengers and crew had been evacuated, it is purported that;

The Hawaii Emergency Warning System Sirens require a human operator to activate them. In the case of the wildfires, the operator was not able to activate the sirens because he was evacuated from his post.


Whilst there could be many reasons, we would hope that the Siren Operator will be seen to be less like Schettino and more like The captain of the Costa Diadema which ran aground in January 2023, Mario Palombo, remained on board the ship until all passengers and crew had been evacuated.


Shout Louder


Third, the sirens are not always effective in alerting people to danger. They can be drowned out by noise, and they may not be heard by people who are indoors or in remote areas.


Plan B


Emergency Mass notification system that calls and texts residents could have been introduced, similar to what happens in most other states in the USA.


The Hawaii Emergency Siren Warning System Has a History of Failures:


The Hawaii Emergency Siren Warning System is not the first time that an emergency warning system has failed to work.


In 2018, the system accidentally notified Hawaii residents that there was a threat of a missile attack. The false alarm caused widespread panic and chaos.


GOOGLE Early warning System


In 2019, the Google Earthquake Warning System failed to notify people in Greece of an earthquake, the system works by sending an notification on a Google/Android Phone, or possibly sending in-app notifications from within Google Apps like Google Mail, Google Maps, Google Meet, Google Photos, Google YouTube.


The earthquake caused widespread damage and injuries, and it could have been mitigated if people had been warned in advance.


My SOS Family Emergency Warning System:


In light of these failures, it is clear that we need a more reliable way to warn people of danger, My SOS Family Emergency Warning System is a new app that is designed to fill this gap.


The app allows users to create a network of family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers who can be notified if the user needs help. The app can be used to send alerts for a variety of emergencies, including wildfires, earthquakes, and medical emergencies.


The app is also designed to be more reliable than traditional emergency warning systems. It does not require a human operator to send alerts to masses, instead it relies on the person in danger to ask for help and it can be used to send alerts to people who are indoors or in remote areas.


Conclusion:


My SOS Family Emergency Warning System is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to be prepared for an emergency. It is a reliable and effective way to get help when you need it most.


If you are looking for a way to protect yourself and your loved ones in an emergency, download the My SOS Family Emergency Warning System app today.


But remember that it doesn't matter how good an Emergency Warning or Alert system is all systems and processes can fail, we too also must use both our common sense and also take some responsibility of our personal safety and wellbeing, but reducing the risk we put ourselves in and also be mindful of potential risks, therefore putting in place Plan B's and Plan C's.


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