Emergency sirens on Maui, part of Hawaii's decades-old early warning system, never sounded.
But authorities are finding existing emergency alert systems insufficient for these new threats - sometimes with deadly results.
NEW CHALLENGESAcross much of the world, warning systems for natural disasters have not evolved in response to climate change, according to Schlegelmilch.
While each locality faces a distinctive threat landscape and needs a unique warning system, disaster management experts see some solutions that can be applied everywhere.
The county also acquired a warning system that can send alerts to cellphones, fixed phone lines, emails - and even fax machines.
Persons:
Mike Blake, Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, Chris Gregg, Adam Weintraub, Bill Parker, Parker, Mike Chard, Chard, Laura Brewington, Julia Harte, Brad Brooks, Paul Thomasch, Jonathan Oatis
Organizations:
REUTERS, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Climate, East Tennessee State University, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, U.S . National Weather Service, Boulder Office, Disaster, Thomson
Locations:
Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, U.S, Canada, Vermont, United States, Columbia, Jackson , Mississippi, Colorado's, Boulder, Boulder . Boulder, Chard, Boulder County, Pacific