2023-08-18 08:12:33
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Outdoor sirens remained silent on Maui as a ferocious fire engulfed the coastal community of Lahaina last week. The director of the island’s Emergency Management Agency said he did not regret not activating the system to notify residents.
On Thursday, one day following his statement, Herman Andaya resigned from his position. The official had explained that he feared that activating the sirens during the fire might cause people to head “mauka”, a Hawaiian term that can mean towards the mountains or inland.
“If that had been the case, they would have gone to the fire,” Andaya added.
But the decision not to activate the sirens, along with a water shortage that hampered the work of firefighters and a traffic jam on a highway where flames lashed fleeing cars, has drawn intense criticism from many residents in the followingmath of the deadliest blaze. registered in the United States in more than a century. At least 111 people have lost their lives.
Mayor Richard Bissen has accepted Andaya’s resignation effective immediately, Maui County announced on Facebook. Andaya cited unspecified health reasons for leaving the position and no further details were provided.
“Given the severity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I will recruit someone into this key role as soon as possible and I look forward to announcing it soon,” Bissen said in a statement.
The absence of the sirens has been revealed as a possible error, and The Associated Press reported that it was part of a series of communication problems that exacerbated the chaos. Hawaii has what has been praised as the largest outdoor emergency siren system in the world.
The system was created following a tsunami that left more than 150 dead on the so-called Big Island in 1946 and, according to its website, it can be used to warn of fires.
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez said earlier Thursday that an outside organization will conduct an “impartial and independent” assessment of the government’s response, noting that authorities intend to “facilitate any necessary corrective action and advance preparedness for future emergencies.” ”. The investigation is likely to take several months, she added.
Displaced residents continue to fill the hotels that are prepared to welcome and care for them at least until next spring.
Authorities hope to empty the crowded and uncomfortable shelters early next week, said Brad Kieserman, vice president of emergency operations for the American Red Cross. Hotel rooms will also be available for those who have spent the last eight days sleeping in cars or camping in parking lots, he added.
The search for the missing extended beyond Lahaina to other communities ravaged by fire. As of Thursday, rescuers had barely covered 45% of the charred territory, according to the governor.
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Kelleher reported from Honolulu and Weber from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Michael Casey in Concord, New Hampshire; Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island; Seth Borenstein in Washington, DC, and Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri contributed to this report.
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