The head of Maui’s emergency management agency resigned Thursday, county officials said, after facing mounting questions about his agency’s decision not to sound the sirens on the island as last week’s deadly wildfires bore down on the historic town of Lahaina.
The chief, Herman Andaya, submitted his resignation citing health reasons, county officials said, “effective immediately.” A day earlier at a news conference, Mr. Andaya defended the decision not to activate the sirens, saying the outdoor alarms are used primarily for tsunamis and would not have helped because people are trained to seek higher ground when they hear the siren.
Asked whether he regretted the decision a week after the disaster, Mr. Andaya responded: “I do not.”None of the 80 warning sirens placed around Maui were activated in last week’s fires, leading residents to question why they weren’t sounded as a fast-moving blaze overtook West Maui and killed more than 100 people.
Many survivors said they received little or no warning, with downed power lines and cell towers preventing some electronic alerts from reaching residents.
Persons:
Herman Andaya, “, Andaya
Locations:
Lahaina, Maui, West Maui