Alleged ‘negligence’ for horrific fire in Hawaii

Herman Andaya, president of the Island of Maui Emergency Management Authority, answered questions from reporters at yesterday’s press briefing on the wildfires. Allegations of “failure to take necessary precautions and negligence” came to light at the meeting, for reasons such as disaster warning sirens on the island of Maui not working when the wildfires started and the flow in the los electricity poles were not interrupted.

When one of the accusations, “not using sirens,” was voiced, Andaya said that the island’s siren system was designed for tsunamis rather than wildfires, and that sirens were not part of fire response protocol.

Stating that if the sirens sounded, people would try to go to higher places, Andaya said she “doesn’t regret” not sounding the sirens at the time of the incident.

On the other hand, Andaya affirmed that other methods were used instead of sirens to warn the population of the fire.

Stating that some of these methods are sending text messages and broadcasting emergency alerts on television and radio, Andaya said: “Our practice is to use the most effective means to send an emergency message to the public during a wildfire. ”. saying.

The Honolulu Civil Beat, a nonprofit news organization, questioned the extent to which authorities took necessary precautions during the fires, noting that Andaya “has no professional experience in emergency management leadership,” in an article published yesterday.

“THE MERMAID DID NOT MAKE A BALL, THE EQUIPMENT WAS LIMITED”

Hawaii State Senator Angus McKelvey told USA Today that he heard “explosive sounds” in the city of Lahaina at the time the fire started and could see several houses burning as well as “embers falling from the sky.”

Saying she didn’t hear emergency sirens and didn’t see police supervising evacuations as the flames spread, McKelvey said she didn’t know what to do, as did other residents who tried to flee the area at the time of the explosion. incident.

Adam Weintraub, a spokesman for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, said his records did not show sirens sounding when the fire started.

Instead of sirens, Weintraub said, they use emergency alerts sent to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations to warn the public.

Hawaii Fire Association President Bobby Lee also suggested that response to the fires may have been delayed due to “outnumbered fire crews and a lack of equipment.”

FIRE MAY BE THE SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL POLES

According to the ABC7 news, a new image of the wildfires has emerged.

The images were deemed “substantial evidence” pointing to power lines as the probable cause of the fire.

Additionally, Hawaii’s power company, “Hawaiian Electric Co.”, has come under fire for “failing to shut off power during high winds and keeping power on even when the wind starts to knock down power poles.”

Speaking to the Associated Press (AP), Maui resident Shane Treu said that on August 8, when the fires started, he saw the power pole in front of his house snap and begin to spark and ignite. the dry grass that had fallen, and that he captured the moment of the incident on camera.

Treu, regarding the event, I heard a voice saying: “Wow, genius. It was as if someone had launched fireworks. The sparks from the streetlight fell onto a large mound of grass, and the grass caught fire in the strong wind.” saying.

MORE THAN 1000 PEOPLE MISSING, 111 DEAD

According to the CNN report, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier noted that search efforts have been completed in about 38 percent of the areas where the fires were effective.

Stating that the number of people who lost their lives due to the fires rose to 111, Pelletier said more than 1,000 missing people are still being sought within the scope of search and rescue efforts.

Pelletier added that they hope to complete search and rescue efforts in the region by the end of the week. (AA)