Radio Silence Amid Lowell Reveals Critical Gap In Emergency Plan – WTOP News
Power outages cut off emergency broadcasts on Kauaʻi, leaving residents without road, shelter and hospital updates as stations lacked backup equipment.
- Hurricane Lowell battered Kauai this week, causing power outages that crippled radio communications across the island. Both KONG-FM and KKCR struggled with transmission failures, leaving residents without critical updates on road safety, food access, and hospital availability.
- Radio serves as the backbone of government communication during disasters, but many stations lack reliable backup power. Anni Caporuscio, executive director of KKCR, said stations "should have the infrastructure to have a backup generator or a battery at all our transmitter sites."
- Funding challenges deepened after Republicans in Congress voted to close the Corporation for Public Broadcasting last year, disrupting federal grants. KKCR now faces a yearly budget deficit of $83,000, limiting its ability to maintain necessary backup systems.
- Similar infrastructure fragility exists across Hawaii, as evidenced by Kona lows damaging Akamai Broadcasting on Maui earlier this year. Zane Lacaden, general manager at Akamai, noted crews struggled for three weeks to reach mountain transmitter sites for repairs.
- Following these failures, officials have called for a comprehensive assessment of the state's radio infrastructure. Darryl Oliveira, acting administrator for County Civil Defense, emphasized that policymakers must "support and continue to build upon the resilience of our public radio system.
18 Articles
18 Articles
For years, emergency preparedness has followed a mantra: authorities across the state urge residents of Hawaii to hold hand-held portable radios and spare batteries when storms or other hazards...
Radio Silence Amid Lowell Reveals Critical Gap In Emergency Plan – WTOP News
For years it has been a mantra of emergency preparedness: Officials across the state urge Hawaiʻi residents to keep portable radios and extra batteries on hand whenever storms or other hazards pose a threat. The idea is those radios will convey urgent government warnings and updates when other systems fail. But when Hurricane Lowell battered...
The Toronto Star
Radio Silence Amid Lowell Reveals Critical Gap In Emergency Plan
For years it has been a mantra of emergency preparedness: Officials across the state urge Hawaiʻi residents to keep portable radios and extra batteries on hand whenever storms or other hazards pose a threat. The idea is those radios will…
For years, emergency preparedness has followed a mantra: authorities across the state urge residents of Hawaii to hold hand-held portable radios and spare batteries when storms or other hazards pose a threat. The idea is for such radios to transmit urgent government warnings and updates, even if other systems fail.
Radio Silence Amid Lowell Reveals Critical Gap In Emergency Plan Radio is critical during disasters. Kauaʻi has again exposed that many stations lack generators and other equipment needed to stay on the air.
https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/09/radio-silence-amid-lowell-reveals-critical-gap-in-emergency-plan/
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