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Posted: Friday, November 2nd, 2012 9:10 AM HST

Civil Defense sirens catch public by surprise brief

By Ken Hupp - 67AM KPUA News

There were some anxious moments Thursday afternoon when Big Island civil defense sirens were heard at 3:10 p.m. The siren activation occurred nearly three and a half hours after the regular monthly test and took residents by surprise. County Civil Defense Chief Benedict Fuata later took to the airwaves to explain it was only a test. “A follow-up siren test was conducted at 3:10 p.m.,” Fuata said. “There are no emergencies at this time. I repeat. There are no emergencies at this time.” County personnel were on scene during the monthly EAS test monitoring each of the Big Island’s 71 siren stations after 10 of the island’s sirens malfunctioned Saturday while the island and state of Hawai`i were under a tsunami warning.