Maui chief doesn’t regret not activating sirens during wildfire

The head of Maui’s Emergency Management Agency asserted on Wednesday that he has no regrets about failing to activate warning sirens as the apocalyptic wildfires swept through the island — despite claims the system could have saved hundreds of lives.

Chief Herman Andaya defended his decision to only send out alerts via mobile devices, radio and television, and the county’s opt-in resident alert system after his experience and qualifications for the lofty position were called into question during a press conference held by the governor.

Andaya said that the blaring sirens are typically reserved for tsunami warnings and that Hawaiians are trained to seek higher ground when they are set off, which would have been toward the fast-moving inferno that killed 110 people.

“Had we sounded the siren that night, we’re afraid that people would have gotten mauka [toward the mountains] and if that was the case, then they would have gone into the fire,” Andaya said.

“I should also note that there are no sirens mauka, or on the mountainside, where the fire was spreading down. So even if we sounded the siren, we would not have saved those people out there on the mountainside.”

Andaya answered the question following a heated moment when a reporter cited several survivors who claimed their neighbors and loved ones could have been saved if a glaring warning had been issued before they noticed the flames barreling toward their homes.

The journalist also pointed out reports that Andaya had no prior experience in emergency management before taking on the lead role in 2017 and asked whether he could consider handing the reigns over to someone else.

“The new story talks about how I didn’t have experience before taking a job and that’s not true,” Andaya said, before listing off his history in the housing department and as a staffer in the mayor’s cabinet, during which time he often “reported to the emergency operation centers.”

“Also during a time we went through numerous trainings as well. And so to say that I am not qualified, I think is incorrect,” he added.

Both Mayor Richard Bissen and Hawaii Governor Josh Green stepped in to defend Andaya as the reporter pressed the chief, with Green agreeing that he would expect a tsunami if he heard the sirens as well.

The moderator also reminded both parties to respond to one another with “Aloha and kindness.”

Green confirmed Wednesday that at least 110 people have been killed by the devastating wildfire, though rescue teams have only searched 38% of the affected territory.

The final death toll is far from clear, officials said, and will likely continue to climb in the coming weeks.

Because of the unfathomable loss for the small island community, authorities have formed the Morgue, Investigation and Notification Taskforce (MINT) to accelerate the deceased identification and family notification process as rescue teams search through the rubble.

“This is unprecedented. No one has ever seen this that is alive today. Not this size, not this number, not this volume, and we’re not done,” Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier said.

Thousands of displaced residents have been placed in shelters, hotels and Airbnb units, while tens of thousands of homes and businesses are still without power.

President Biden — who Green said has been “very gracious” to the island community — is expected to visit the wreck Monday.

The cause of the wildfires, already the deadliest in the US in more than a century, is under investigation.