"When the Siren Sounds, I Feared Going to the Mountains"…Hawaii Disaster Official Resigns After Absurd Excuse

Reason Sirens Did Not Sound: "To Avoid Confusion"
111 Fire Deaths... Identification Still Difficult

The Maui County official responsible for not sounding the alert sirens during the worst wildfire in history in Hawaii, who defended the decision by saying they were concerned about "causing confusion among residents," has ultimately resigned. This came just one day after the controversial remarks.

On the 18th (local time), Maui County announced, "Herman Andaya, head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency (EMA), submitted his resignation the previous day." Andaya reportedly cited health reasons for his resignation.

Earlier, at a press conference on the 16th, Andaya explained the reason for not sounding the alert sirens when the wildfire swept near Lahaina, saying it was "to avoid unexpected confusion."

He explained that the alert sirens across Hawaii were installed primarily for tsunami warnings, so they are concentrated near coastal areas, and there was concern that people might head toward the burning mountain area. Andaya defended, "When the siren sounds, people are trained to seek higher ground."

However, Hawaii State Senator Angus McKelvey emphasized, "The sirens are not only for tsunamis but are disaster sirens," and criticized, "It is insulting to think people are so stupid that they wouldn't know the siren was for a fire."

Hawaii has a total of 400 sirens for disaster preparedness, with about 80 outdoor alert sirens on Maui Island alone. However, on the first day of the fire, the 8th, no state-level alert was sounded, causing widespread complaints from residents. Afterward, emergency alerts were only issued via cell phones, TV, or radio.

Roads on Maui Island, Hawaii, devastated by the worst wildfire in history [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Furthermore, the homepage explaining the Maui emergency alert system clearly states that the sirens are used during fires as well, which further fueled controversy over Andaya's remarks. He was also reported to have said, "People probably couldn't hear the alert anyway because of the strong winds."

Mayor Richard Bissen immediately accepted Andaya's resignation. He added, "Considering the seriousness of the crisis we face, we will appoint someone to this important position as soon as possible."

The Maui wildfire has continued for 11 days, with a 90% containment rate in the main affected area of Lahaina and about 80-85% containment in other areas. The death toll was confirmed at 111 as of the previous night. Of these, fewer than 10 have been positively identified.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green stated on the 16th, "The number of residents still missing remains over 1,000."

The U.S. federal government urgently dispatched a forensic team composed of coroners and doctors to assist with identification. The New York Times (NYT) reported that the team includes DNA experts who worked during the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and those who investigated Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.