Maui’s top emergency management official resigned Thursday, a day after defending his decision not to sound warning sirens as wildfires ripped through the island.
The resignation of Herman Andaya, administrator of the county’s emergency management agency, was effective immediately, a county spokesman said.
A wildfire devastated the historic West Maui town of Lahaina on August 8, killing more than 100 people and destroying thousands of buildings, many residential.
Residents have described fleeing the area with little more than they could grab, and no way to receive emergency alerts sent to mobile devices as many had been without power since early that morning.
As the fire approached, Andaya said he made the decision not to sound the sirens because he feared coastal residents had fled inland toward the flames.
“The public is trained to seek higher ground in case the siren sounds,” he said, noting that sirens are mainly used for tsunamis.
“And if that’s the case, then they would have gone to the fire,” he said.
Records show Andaya has downplayed the use of sirens, repeatedly describing them as a “last resort” in recent years.
In a 2020 meeting, reporting that only 58 of the island’s more than 70 sirens worked during the most recent monthly test, he said the process to repair them was slow and there were other means to notify the public during emergencies.
A fire official responded that they are still important during major emergencies, when power and phones can fail.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to diminish the value of mermaids,” Andaya said. “I totally agree with you, boss, that sirens are important,” he added.
