Warning alert screwup?

[LikaNui]

Early yesterday afternoon there was an emergency alert for the flooding (and a tornado) in central Oahu. The alert, repeated several times during the next hour, was broadcast on (apparently) every channel, with a notice to go to channel 48 for more information.
I went to channel 48 a few times, and... nothing. Zero. Zilch.
Channel 48 is C-Span, both analog and digital. Regular programming. Nothing at all about the emergency alert.
WTF?

[cyleet99]

Re: Warning alert screwup?

Check the SB--there was a tornado in Kapolei yesterday. Not sure about flooding, though.

[LikaNui]

Re: Warning alert screwup?

Check the SB--there was a tornado in Kapolei yesterday. Not sure about flooding, though.

I'm well aware of all of that, thanks. I think you misunderstood my post, though.
As my original post said, my question here is why the TV stations told everyone to tune to channel 48 but there was nothing on channel 48.

[Vanguard]

Re: Warning alert screwup?

What scary news. Has Oahu ever had tornadoes before?

[helen]

Re: Warning alert screwup?

Some times it forms but never touches the ground, other times it's a waterspout. But yesterday's tornado was the first time in my memory that someone got hurt by it.

Last night's KITV mentions that tornadoes happen from time to time throught the state.

[LikaNui]

Re: Warning alert screwup?

Yes, folks, there's an average of one tornado per year on one or another of our islands. Offshore waterspouts are much more common.
But that's a discussion for another thread, if someone wants to start one.

My original question... the purpose of this thread and the reason it's here in the Hawaii Media section... has to do with our system of broadcast warnings and, to repeat once again, why we were directed to channel 48 when there was nothing on channel 48.
I'm hoping that one of our media folks or one of our state/county posters can answer that.
By the way, there was no tornado warning -- it was a flood warning that was broadcast on all channels, sending people to 48. I wonder if that would happen for tsunami warnings as well.

[tutusue]

Re: Warning alert screwup?

[...]
I went to channel 48 a few times, and... nothing. Zero. Zilch.
Channel 48 is C-Span, both analog and digital. Regular programming. Nothing at all about the emergency alert.
WTF?

I did the same thing with the same result. Can't answer your question, tho'.

[Kelly0040]

Re: Warning alert screwup?

I went to Channel 48 when I heard the alert and there was flash flood-related text splashed across Jesse Jackson Jr's face (he had some fun charts, too. I think he was talking about the stimulus package) as well as the usual emergency alert voice talking about how if you encounter a flash flood, don't drive into it and don't drown. I left it on the channel and it continued for about 30 mins (more or less) and it eventually just went back to regular cspan.

[helen]

Re: Warning alert screwup?

It's been awhile since I have seen the latest "tune to Ch. 48" message but did yesterday's alert just said to "tune to Ch. 48" or did it add something to the alert message like saying it was a flash flood warning?

This week's weather has been kind of mildly unprecitable. I get 2nd hand weather related emails at work and Tuesday there was flash flood warning and then a few hours later there is a cancellation of the flash flood warning, then yesterday another flash flood warning and then an extension of the flash flood warning to a later time in the day. Today it's a flash flood warning and then a high wind advisory for the next 3 days. Maybe with all of the alerts and cancellations someone may have forgot to turn off the "tune to Ch. 48" message yesterday.

As a suggestion if anyone is going to compare notes to what happen on Wednesday it might be helpful if a time of day was also specified. Sure LikaNui, tutusue and Kelly0040 said they saw the alert on Wednesday afternoon, but when on Wednesday afternoon did it happen? Don't have to be on the exact second but at least the hour or quarter hour might be useful. At this point in time one doesn't know if Kelly0040 saw it at 1:30 pm while LikaNui tuned in at 2:30 pm and tutusue saw it at 3:30 pm.

[LikaNui]

Re: Warning alert screwup?

I went to Channel 48 when I heard the alert and there was flash flood-related text splashed across Jesse Jackson Jr's face (he had some fun charts, too. I think he was talking about the stimulus package) as well as the usual emergency alert voice talking about how if you encounter a flash flood, don't drive into it and don't drown.

Correct. Chanel 48 had exactly what every other channel had. Nothing extra. So what was their point of telling us to go to 48?

It's been awhile since I have seen the latest "tune to Ch. 48" message but did yesterday's alert just said to "tune to Ch. 48" or did it add something to the alert message like saying it was a flash flood warning?

See Kelly's comment. The message was scrolling text and computerized voiceover.

Sure both LikaNui and Kelly0040 said they saw the alert on Wednesday afternoon, but when on Wednesday afternoon did it happen? Don't have to be on the exact second but at least the hour or quarter hour might be useful. At this point in time one doesn't know if Kelly0040 saw it at 1:30 pm while LikaNui tuned in at 2:30 pm.

It started around 12:30 or 1pm, as I recall. But that doesn't matter when it comes to the original question...

[DNR55]

Re: Warning alert screwup?

Early yesterday afternoon there was an emergency alert for the flooding (and a tornado) in central Oahu. The alert, repeated several times during the next hour, was broadcast on (apparently) every channel, with a notice to go to channel 48 for more information.
I went to channel 48 a few times, and... nothing. Zero. Zilch.
Channel 48 is C-Span, both analog and digital. Regular programming. Nothing at all about the emergency alert.
WTF?

=================
This is question for somebody at Oceanic Cable. Anybody got an inside connection to Oceanic?

[Kelly0040]

Re: Warning alert screwup?

The alert I heard was on QVC (the power had gone out and I had turned the tv/cable box back on to let it boot back up while we went outside to watch the storm move over since it was still sunny outside here). I remember being super annoyed that the alert didn't tell me what it was for and that I had to change the channel to find out.

FWIW it wasn't scrolling text. It was just a block of text stating a flash flood warning for Honolulu with two times - I think the beginning and end time of the warning.

I am fairly positive I saw it before 2pm.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Warning alert screwup?

This is question for somebody at Oceanic Cable.

I agree. It's something that Oceanic added.

If you got the computerized voice from the National Weather Service, that's all there is. That's the extent of EAS - Emergency Alert System. Perhaps if more information was forthcoming from official sources (through the EBS), it would be on 48.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Warning alert screwup?

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/...-official-say/

Daylight Savings Time?