Maui’s chief of emergency services resigned Thursday after being criticized for the lack of warnings on Hawaii’s wildfires, the deadliest in more than a century in the United States.
Maui County confirmed the news on social media, claiming that Herman Andaya’s resignation was for health reasons, assuring that the person responsible will be replaced as soon as possible.
MEMA Administrator Submits Resignation Effective Immediately https://t.co/pWoTPMhsuX pic.twitter.com/XhsTMxCyPI
— County of Maui (@CountyofMaui) August 18, 2023
During the fires, official warnings on television, radio and mobile phones proved useless to many residents without electricity or internet connection.
Hawaii’s warning system, the world’s largest, failed to activate, officials admitted, and the sirens remained silent.
On Wednesday, Andaya had defended that the warning system would not be used, arguing that because it was created in case of tsunamis, it could prompt people to flee the coast towards the flames.
Created after a tsunami that killed more than 150 people on Hawaii’s Big Island in 1946, the warning siren system can be used to warn of fires, according to the system’s Internet portal.
The death toll from the fires has risen to 111, with most of the bodies so far found near the coast or in the ocean as dozens of people jumped into the water to escape the flames.
Wednesday has the Archipelago Governor Josh Green admitted the balance could increase significantly at a time when hundreds of people are still missing.
Rescue teams, made up of first responders and sniffer dogs, have just finished searching for bodies in about 45% of the affected area in Lahaina, the historic capital of the island of Maui and one of the most popular tourist areas in Hawaii.
“Impartial and independent” inquiry into authorities’ response
Hours before Herman Andaya’s resignation was announced, Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez announced an “impartial and independent” investigation into the authorities’ response to the disaster, which could take several months.
Lahaina residents have also criticized the lack of water which has hampered firefighters and the inability to leave the city as roads soon became blocked by vehicles.
The archipelago’s largest electricity distributor, Hawaiian Electric, was also accused of causing the fires, in a complaint filed by attorneys for the affected people in Lahaina.
The lawsuit states that Hawaiian Electric, which supplies electricity to 95% of the state, “inexcusably left its power lines operational during predicted high-fire-risk conditions.”
US President Joe Biden will travel to the island of Maui on Monday to visit the area hardest hit by the fires, as the opposition criticizes its perceived weak response to the disaster.
Source: DN
