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, 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 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.”
Read more at https://nypost.com/2023/08/16/maui-chief-doesnt-regret-not-activating-sirens-during-wildfire/
#hawaii #maui #wildfires #hermanandaya
The New York Post is your source for breaking news, news about New York, sports, business, entertainment, opinion, real estate, culture, fashion, and more.
Subscribe to New York Post Sports: https://www.youtube.com/c/nypostsports
Catch the latest news here: https://nypost.com/
Follow The New York Post on:
Twitter – https://twitter.com/nypost
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NYPost