KHKA Honolulu Is FEMA’s Newest Primary Entry Point Station.

Another FEMA Primary Entry Point (PEP) station is unveiled with the build-out of facilities in Hawaii that can withstand any type of natural or man-made threat to broadcast emergency messages to citizens of the island state.

The FEMA PEP station in Hawaii is Blow Up, Inc. sports KHKA Honolulu (1500). It is one of nearly 80 PEP stations for FEMA's National Public Warning System (NPWS), maintained under FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, which together ensure the capability of reaching 90% of the U.S. population. Under the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act enacted in 2015, Congress required FEMA to upgrade PEP stations across the country to ensure the continuity of terrestrial broadcast services under all hazards.

"Our mission here was to make sure we had this capability in place first, to ensure the president could communicate with the American public under all conditions," FEMA's Antwane Johnson told Hawaii News Now. "Secondly, to ensure that our state and local officials know that you have a resource here in your community that can be utilized as a critical communications lifeline when other forms of communication are impacted."

The facilities can withstand "everything from tsunamis to earthquakes to tornadoes to hurricanes," FEMA's Manny Centena explains. "Manmade attacks, such as high-altitude electromagnetic pulse, chemical, biological, and nuclear air particles."

KHKA joins iHeartMedia "NewsRadio 1030" WBZ Boston and Bonneville's "Seattle Sports" KIRO Seattle (710) as FEMA PEP stations, both completing their studios in 2021.

Duane Kurisu, founder, and chair of Aio Media Group, the parent company of Blow Up, Inc. remarked, "This whole project is fitting for us because it sits right on top of why our companies exist, and what our vision is for the future of Hawaii."

The KHKA tower also acts as a relay site for FEMA to maintain communications with Guam and American Samoa.