Maui emergency chief Herman Andaya resigns after defending siren decision

The head of Maui’s Emergency Management Agency stepped down Thursday — just one day after he defended his controversial decision not to activate the island-wide alarm system as devastating wildfires ripped across the island.

Chief Herman Andaya handed in his resignation, citing “health reasons,” according to Mayor Richard Bissen.

His departure is effective immediately, meaning the top spot for the emergency department will be vacant as the decimated island grapples with the aftermath of the inferno that killed at least 111 people.

“Given the gravity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I will be placing someone in this key position as quickly as possible and I look forward to making that announcement soon,” Mayor Bissen said in a statement.

Andaya’s qualifications for the role came into question after he fell under harsh criticism on his chosen course of action when alerting Maui residents to evacuate as flames raced toward their homes.

During a media briefing Wednesday, the former MEMA chief said he does not regret failing to sound the blaring alarms when aggressively pressed by a reporter who insinuated that the system could have saved hundreds of lives.

Andaya asserted that the blaring sirens are typically reserved for tsunami warnings and that Hawaiians are trained to seek higher ground when they are set off.

Hawaii’s official government website, however, lists wildfires as one of the disasters that the “all-hazard” could be used for.

“Even if we sounded the siren, we would not have saved those people out there on the mountainside,” Andaya said.

He also defended his professional record, telling reporters he was thoroughly vetted and heavily trained before taking the lead role in 2017.

Andaya does not, however, have any direct experience in emergency management other than coordinating with the agency during his tenure in the housing department and as a staffer in the mayor’s cabinet.

He was asked whether he would consider handing the reigns over to someone else but dodged the question.

He did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

As of Thursday, rescue teams searched through at least 45% of the burn area and confirmed that 111 people were found dead, though the toll is expected to climb as officials comb through the rubble.

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.

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