Maui emergency chief announced his resignation. Herman Andaya shared his decision after defending the alarm system failure.
But, the former official explained why he decided to quit. Here are the major details you need to know.
Maui Emergency Chief Resigns After Defending Alarm System Failure
A Maui County firefighter uses a hose line to extinguish a fire near homes during the upcountry Maui wildfires in Kula, Hawaii on August 13, 2023. The death toll in Hawaii from the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century was expected to cross the 100-mark Sunday, August 13, fueling criticism that government inaction contributed to the heavy loss of life.
According to CBS News' latest report, Andaya resigned not because of the criticisms he received.
The former Maui Emergency Management Agency head said that he stepped down from his position due to health reasons.
Because of this, his resignation, which was filed on Thursday, Aug. 17, was immediately effective.
"Given the gravity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I will be placing someone in this key position as quickly as possible," said Maui Mayor Richard Bissen.
He added that he is looking forward to making an announcement regarding the individual replacing Herman.
BBC reported that before Herman Andaya became the emergency management chief of Maui County, he had no prior experience in the said position.
Why Herman Andaya is Criticized
Search and recovery team members, accompanied by cadaver dogs, check charred buildings and cars in the aftermath of the Maui Fires in Lahaina, West Maui, Hawaii, August 17, 2023. Embattled officials in Hawaii who have been criticized for the lack of warnings as a deadly wildfire ripped through a town insisted on August 16 that sounding emergency sirens would not have saved lives.
BBC reported that Herman Andaya is criticized because he failed to activate the alarm system during the deadly wildfires in Maui.
The county doesn't lack an alarm system. In fact, Maui has 80 sirens around the island, which are tested on the first day of each month.
This means that Maui County has a sophisticated alarm system that can immediately inform residents about catastrophes and other dangerous events.
However, these sirens remained silent during the severe wildfires on the island. Andaya explained why they didn't activate them when needed.
The former emergency management chief said that they were afraid that the sirens, which are commonly used during tsunamis, would create panic on the island.
He explained that once people hear these sirens, they could run to higher ground and potentially stumble into the path of wildfires.
However, residents didn't accept this explanation. They said that the sirens could have provided a crucial warning of the dangerous forest fires.
As of writing, Maui officials declared at least 111 people dead. Meanwhile, over 1,000 remains are still missing.
Related Article: Joe Biden to Visit Maui After Deadly Wildfires; Promises His Visit Won't Delay Recovery Operations
