(1st UPDATE) The administrator of the Maui County Emergency Management Agency says sirens in Hawaii are used to alert people to tsunamis and using it during the fire might have led people to evacuate toward the danger area
LAHAINA, Hawaii – Maui’s emergency management chief on Wednesday, August 16, defended his agency’s decision against sounding sirens during last week’sHerman Andaya, administrator of the Maui County Emergency Management Agency, said sirens in Hawaii are used to alert people to tsunamis. Using it during the fire might have led people to evacuate toward the danger area, he told reporters.
“Had we sounded the siren that night, we’re afraid that people would have gone mauka and if that was the case then they would have gone into the fire,” Andaya said. Hawaii Governor Josh Green also defended the decision not to sound sirens. Green has ordered the state attorney general to conduct a comprehensive review of the emergency response that would bring in outside investigators and experts, clarifying on Wednesday that the review is “not a criminal investigation in any way.”
Officials on Wednesday reopened a main road through town for the first time in days, responding to frustration from residents. The highway, which bypasses the charred waterfront and town center, was previously closed to all but residents of the surrounding area, first responders and people who work in local businesses.
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