Maui Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Administrator Amos Lonokailua-Hewett today announced a new evacuation planning and notification platform to enhance emergency operations for residents and visitors on Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi. The platform – Genasys Protect – will allow Maui County users to view predetermined evacuation zones, track live statuses and receive real-time notifications through a mobile app.

The Genasys platform is designed to help first responders make faster, more informed decisions by enabling real-time collaboration across agencies and delivering clear, targeted communications to the public and provide evacuation alerts for all hazards, including floods, fires, tsunamis, hurricanes, infrastructure failures and more.

Residents and visitors are encouraged to download Genasys Protect and to enroll for existing MEMA alerts, which will also provide evacuation information. In coordination with the Maui Police Department and Department of Fire and Public Safety, MEMA plans to go live with the platform at noon on May 1, 2025.

Genasys Protect notifications and MEMA alerts are subscriber-based. They will be used in conjunction with non-subscriber-based emergency communication methods, including the Emergency Alert System (EAS), Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and the State of Hawai’i All-Hazard Siren System.

“We will use all available methods of emergency communication to the public during an emergency,” said Administrator Lonokailua-Hewett. “New Genasys Protect evacuation alerts -- when combined with MEMA alerts, WEA, EAS and sirens -- create a powerful, multilayered system that ensures timely, reliable communication, saving lives and enhancing public safety during emergencies.”

The Genasys platform highlights a zone map where users can see predetermined evacuation zones, as well as live status updates during emergencies. The mobile app, available for both Apple and Android devices, will enable the public to follow their zones and receive zone-specific notifications, which can also be viewed on any internet browser.

To learn more about Genasys Protect, visit http://www.mauicounty.gov/genasys. To view zone maps and download the mobile app via the Apple App Store and Google Play, visit https://protect.genasys.com.

Once downloaded, users should:

1. Look up important addresses and follow those zones on the mobile app.
2. Keep the zone ID in a visible location, such as on the fridge or by the door.
3. Ensure that family and friends, including kūpuna and other vulnerable groups, know their zones and practice emergency plans.
4. MEMA will remind the public to "Know Your Zone" as part of outreach campaigns.

All residents are also encouraged to sign up for MEMA Alerts emergency notifications at https://www.mauicounty.gov/MEMA. During registration, users may select how and where they wish to receive alerts — including landline phones, cell phones, text/SMS messages and email. MEMA Alerts may also be accessed through the “County Alerts” button in the zone search results within the Genasys Protect app.  

Non-subscriber emergency messaging includes the following:

• The state’s All-Hazard Siren System. If a siren sounds, it’s important to tune in to local radio stations, news platforms, TV stations and credible social media pages for emergency updates.
• Emergency Alert System (EAS). EAS is a public warning system used to communicate emergency information through broadcast, cable, satellite and wireless communication systems.
• Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). Wireless Emergency Alerts are short emergency messages sent to cell phones and other mobile devices by authorized authorities to alert people to imminent threats.
• Door-to-door messaging. Evacuation advisories and orders, along with other emergency messaging, are conducted door-to-door by Maui Police Department and County of Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety.

MEMA has several community outreach events where residents can learn more and sign up for Genasys and MEMA alerts onsite:

• MEMA’s Emergency Preparedness Expo Saturday, April 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Queen Kaʻahumanu Center
• Taro Fest on Saturday, April 26, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hāna Ballpark
• Molokaʻi Resource Fair, Saturday, May 10, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and
• Lānaʻi Pineapple Festival, Saturday, July 5, from 1 to 9 p.m. at Dole Park.

Genasys is a global provider of critical communications systems and solutions, including Genasys ALERT, Genasys Protect, National Emergency Warning System Integrated Mass Notification System and LRAD long-range communication systems. Genasys is used in more than 100 countries in sectors that include defense, law enforcement, homeland security, public safety, emergency warning and critical event management. For more information, visit https://genasys.com/.  

To view the full press conference, visit County of Maui Facebook page. For more information on MEMA, visit https://www.mauicounty.gov/MEMA, call (808) 270-7285, email emergency.management@co.maui.hi.us or follow @maui_ema on Instagram and @MauiEMA on Facebook.

‍