No alarm clock was needed this morning for residents living around Diamond Head, Kamiloiki, Makiki, McCully, Moanalua Valley and Waimanalo.

That’s because around 5:30 a.m. coastal warning sirens, used during tsunamis and hurricanes, began trumpeting, causing many people to start making calls to the Honolulu Police Department.

According to Hawaii State Civil Defense and the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, the malfunction occurred as part of a project that added modems to eight sirens on Oahu so they could be remotely activated by satellite.

A technician working on the system is to blame for “inadvertently” setting off the system.

“We apologize for any anxiety this early morning sounding caused for area residents,” Civil Defense Vice Director Doug Mayne said in a statement issued at 7:34 a.m.

—Nick Grube