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Hawaii hurricane guide

The Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) coordinates emergency response for the state, working with the emergency management agencies of the City and County of Honolulu and Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi, and Maui counties. Hawaii has no incorporated towns, so your county agency is your local contact. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service in Honolulu issue hurricane forecasts, watches, and warnings for the islands. A statewide outdoor warning siren system is tested every month. If you hear a siren in a real emergency, turn on a radio or TV or check your phone for instructions. See your county page for local alerts and shelter guidance.

Checked on October 5, 2026

Every phone number and web address on this page was checked against official sources on that date. Details can change, especially during a storm. Always follow instructions from Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA). In a life threatening emergency, call 911.

Counties

Choose your county. Each county page has its emergency numbers, evacuation zones, and shelters, and lists its cities and towns.

More places are on the way. Until yours is listed, see the official sources page or call 211.

Emergency and information numbers

Service Number Notes
Emergency 911 Police, fire, and ambulance. Call only when someone's life or property is in danger.
Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency office 808-733-4300 HI-EMA, 4204 Diamond Head Rd, Honolulu. Office line. Not for emergencies.
Aloha United Way 211 211 Statewide helpline for food, shelter, and other services. Staffed 7 days a week, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. From outside Hawaii dial 808-275-2000 or 877-275-6569, or text 877-275-6569.
Hawaiian Electric outages, Oʻahu 1-855-304-1212 24/7 trouble line, also for downed power lines. Assume every downed line is live and stay away.
Maui Electric outages, Maui County 1-855-304-8181 Hawaiian Electric 24/7 trouble line for Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi.
Hawaiʻi Electric Light outages, Hawaiʻi Island 1-855-304-9191 Hawaiian Electric 24/7 trouble line for Hawaiʻi Island.
Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative outages 808-246-4300 Press option 5 to report a power outage. You can also report in KIUC's SmartHub. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911 first.

Official alerts and information

  • Get alerts (HI-EMA): HI-EMA says to get free local emergency text alerts and to follow government social media and local emergency stations. The address ready.hawaii.gov/alerts goes to this page. Website.
  • Statewide All-Hazard Outdoor Warning Siren System: HI-EMA's home page has a Siren Status Map and reminders of the monthly siren test. The siren tone means check a radio, TV, or phone for the message. Website.

Statewide resources

  • Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency: State emergency management, with preparedness guides, a hurricane page, and language access pages in 13 languages. Website.
  • Central Pacific Hurricane Center: Official forecasts, watches, and warnings for tropical cyclones in the central Pacific, including Hawaii. Website.
  • National Weather Service Honolulu: Local forecasts, watches, and warnings for the Hawaiian Islands. Website.
  • Hawaii Department of Transportation Highways: State highway closures and roadwork notices for all islands. Website.

Evacuation centers

Open only when announced

Evacuation centers open only when officials announce them, and not every center opens for every storm. Check the official list of open centers before you leave home. Bring your own bedding, food, water, and medicines.

Hawaii counties announce hurricane shelters, which they often call refuge areas, only when a storm approaches. Do not go to a site until your county announces it is open. Shelters are a last resort, so bring your own food, water, medicine, and bedding. Each county page links to its own shelter guidance. If you are ordered to shelter in place, HI-EMA says to go to a small interior room away from windows, such as a closet or hallway.

Sources

Checked on October 5, 2026. If a number or address here is wrong, please tell us at Keith@KMyers.me.