HONOLULU – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and KHKA, CBS 1500, unveiled Hawaii’s first Primary Entry Point (PEP) emergency broadcast facility today. The KHKA facility, located at Kahauiki Village, joins FEMA’s National Public Warning System (NPWS), which provides critical information to the public before, during, and after emergency incidents and disasters.

The NPWS emergency broadcast facility, part of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), includes improved operational capabilities for up to two months, expanded broadcast capacity, emergency power generation, and other resilient protective measures for all types of hazardous events, increasing KHKA’s ability to continue broadcasting during emergencies. In the event of a disaster, trained staff can operate the emergency facilities for several weeks to keep KHKA on air to broadcast messages from the local, state, and federal governments, as well as community organizations.

“Radio continues to play a critical role in emergency response,” said Duane Kurisu, Chairman, aio. “We are honored to partner with FEMA to offer this vital public service to our community.” FEMA is modernizing select radio stations across the country as part of the National Public Warning System network to ensure continuity of broadcast services in the event of natural disasters or other emergencies. This is especially timely for Hawaii as the Central Pacific Hurricane Season begins June 1.

“In coordination with our partners at aio, we’ve increased KHKA’s ability to continue operating under all conditions, be they natural disasters, acts of terrorism or other man-made events,” said Antwane Johnson, FEMA’s IPAWS Director. “Broadcast radio, especially AM radio, communicates critical safety information to the public during an emergency and serves an extremely vital role in our nation’s public safety and national security communications
infrastructure PEP stations are designated NPWS broadcast stations that serve as the primary intake source of initial broadcasts for a national alert. FEMA equips these stations, which are operated by local station personnel, with backup communications equipment and power generators that enable them to continue broadcasting information to the public during and after an emergency, including conveying official alerts to communities regionally and nationwide.

The emergency studio is designed and hardened to withstand various natural disasters and acts of terrorism to continue to broadcast messages when other communications channels are unavailable. Currently, there are 77 PEP stations that ensure capable of reaching 90 percent of the U.S. population.

For more information about IPAWS or the PEP modernization effort, visit
https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/integrated-public-alert-warning-system
/broadcasters-wireless. To learn more about KHKA, visit http://cbssportshawaii.com/.

Media Contact:
Katie Arita-Chang
(808) 763-1373
[email protected]