MEMA, fire and police outline how Genesis Protect is used and limits of alerting; officials press public to prepare

Maui Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the Department of Fire and Public Safety and the Maui Police Department told the Disaster Recovery International Affairs and Planning Committee that Genesis Protect is one tool among many for warnings and evacuations and that public education, clearer messaging and partnerships with private landowners are needed to improve outcomes.

MEMA Administrator Lono Kailua Hewitt said Genesis Protect uses an all-hazards approach, with evacuation zones generated by an algorithm that factors population density, access and egress, and historical threat, and that the county added a traffic-modeling integration (Lazarus AI) to approximate evacuation timing. “Genesis Protect is a new software for the state of Hawaii, and the state of Hawaii is paying attention to Maui,” Hewitt told the committee. She said the tool is fastest for targeted messaging but must be paired with sirens, the Emergency Alert System, radio and social media.

Fire Chief Ryland Yotsushiro said the department has been working with MEMA on Genesis Protect and “can definitely see the value in what Genesis can provide.” Deputy Chief Wade Maeda said the Police Department “100% support[s] the Genesis Protect program,” noting that the app and layered alerts can reduce the need for door-to-door evacuations by allowing residents to be notified in advance.

Officials described specific lessons from a late-July tsunami warning and an early-August brush fire in Kaanapali: in some districts, the current road network would take about 2.5 hours to move residents from evacuation zones to refuge areas, a calculation that excludes additional delays from fuel stops, shopping, or people picking up family members. Hewitt said MEMA is modeling additional routes and pursuing memoranda of understanding with private landowners (Mahi Pono, Haleakalā Ranch, Ulu Pālaua/Palakua Ranch and state lands were cited) to identify and assess roads that could be used in evacuation operations.

Hewitt described common user issues and fixes for the Genesis Protect app: location tracking and saved-location settings must be enabled (the app now allows up to 10 saved locations), and users should check notification settings so alerts are audible even when phones are on silent. She acknowledged a problem that caused some users to receive an alert after passing through a zone and said the vendor has been notified to correct that behavior. MEMA staff said they do not currently have a reliable public subscriber count for Genesis Protect but can track MEMA-alert (text) subscribers; they are requesting better analytics from the vendor.

MEMA said it uses a multi-channel approach — public sirens, EAS, wireless emergency alerts, Genesis Protect, MEMA alerts, radio and social media — and that public outreach continues at airports, schools and kupuna facilities. The agency provided a phone number for technical assistance with Genesis Protect settings: (808) 270-7285. Officials also said an after-action report (conducted by a third party) is underway, with a target delivery in September.

Council members asked about signage for inundation/evacuation zones, how to reach people without smartphones, notification cadence, and messaging for kupuna and ADA residents who may need more time to evacuate. Officials urged residents to prepare go-bags, store water and check local evacuation maps in advance.

The committee received no oral testimony on the presentation and deferred further legislative action; the item was presented for information and debrief only.