The chief of Maui has no regrets for not activating the sirens during a forest fire

The chief of Maui’s disaster management agency said Wednesday that he had no regrets not activating warning sirens as the apocalyptic wildfires swept across the island — despite claims the system could have saved hundreds of lives.

Chief Herman Andaya defended his decision to send out alerts only via mobile devices, radio and television, and the county’s opt-in resident alert system after his experience and qualifications for the high position were questioned during a governor’s news briefing.

Andaya said the wailing sirens are usually reserved for tsunami warnings and that Hawaiians are trained to seek higher ground if triggered, which would have been in the direction of the fast-moving inferno that killed 110 people .

“If we had sounded the siren that night, we would have feared people would have gotten Mauka [toward the mountains] and if that was the case, they would have gone into the fire,” Andaya said.

“I should also note that there were no sirens in Mauka or on the mountainside where the fire was spreading. Even if we had sounded the siren, we would not have saved the people out there on the mountainside.”

Andaya answered the question after a heated moment when a reporter quoted several survivors claiming their neighbors and loved ones could have been saved if a strong warning had been given before they realized the flames were rushing toward their homes.

The journalist also pointed to reports that Andaya had no emergency management experience prior to taking the leadership role in 2017 and asked if he could consider handing the reins to someone else.

“The new story is that I didn’t have any experience before I got a job, and that’s not true,” Andaya said, before recounting his past in the housing department and as a staff member in the mayor’s cabinet, in which he often ” reported to the emergency control centers.”

“We have also completed numerous training courses over the years. And to say that I don’t qualify I think it’s wrong,” he added.

Both Mayor Richard Bissen and Hawaii Gov. Josh Green stepped in to defend Andaya when the reporter pressed the chief, with Green agreeing that if he heard the sirens too, he would expect a tsunami.

The moderator also reminded both parties to reply to each other with “aloha and kindness.”

Green confirmed on Wednesday that at least 110 people were killed by the devastating wildfire, although rescue teams searched only 38% of the affected area.

The final death toll is still unclear, officials said, and is likely to rise further in the coming weeks.

Due to the unimaginable loss to the small island community, authorities have formed the Morgue, Investigation and Notification Taskforce (MINT) to expedite identification of the deceased and notification of family members while rescue teams search the debris.

“This is unprecedented. No one has ever seen anything that is alive today. Not this size, not this number, not this volume, and we’re not done yet,” Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier said.

Thousands of displaced residents have been housed in shelters, hotels and Airbnb units, while tens of thousands of homes and businesses remain without power.

President Biden – who Green said has been “very gracious” to the island community – is expected to visit the wreck on Monday.

The cause of the wildfires, already the deadliest in the US in more than a century, is under investigation.