Crisis manager on Maui who didn't sound fire alarms resigns
It was reported that special alarm systems for brush and forest fires on the Hawaiian island of Maui weren't sounded in the past week when the tragedy at Lahaina ocurred, and now it turns out an official in charge didn't activate them, which has led to his resignation:
Update: it gets worse. It turns out a state official prevented release of water supplies to prevent fires (via Front Page Magazine):
Herman Andaya, the administrator of Maui’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA), resigned Thursday after drawing immense criticism for his agency’s response to the tragic fires that killed more than 110 people in Maui, The Associated Press reported.Now how is it people with such lack of experience and possessing such irresponsibility are being appointed to jobs they're unsuited for? Absolutely disgraceful, and now it's cost more than a hundred lives in a tragedy that could've been avoided if more responsible officials were in charge. This is utterly shameful, and the man should be prosecuted and imprisoned for what he's led to.
Andaya’s agency opted against sounding the emergency siren system as fires began to engulf swaths of the island’s populated areas last week, a decision which appears to have led to his resignation, which is effective immediately, according to the AP. He strongly defended his agency’s decision during a Wednesday press conference, stating that the use of the sirens may not have helped citizens in a testy exchange with reporters.
Andaya had zero prior career experience in emergency management prior to earning the job with the Maui EMA.
Update: it gets worse. It turns out a state official prevented release of water supplies to prevent fires (via Front Page Magazine):
With wildfires ravaging West Maui on Aug. 8, a state water official delayed the release of water that landowners wanted to help protect their property from fires. The water standoff played out over much of the day and the water didn’t come until too late.More woke embarrassment in motion that resulted in horrible tragedies. That official should also resign.
Specifically, according to accounts of four people with knowledge of the situation, M. Kaleo Manuel, a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner and DLNR’s deputy director for water resource management, initially balked at West Maui Land Co.’s requests for additional water to help prevent the fire from spreading to properties managed by the company.
According to the sources, Manuel wanted West Maui Land to get permission from a taro, or kalo, farm located downstream from the company’s property. Manuel eventually released water but not until after the fire had spread. It was not clear on Monday how much damage the fire did in the interim or whether homes were damaged.
Labels: Moonbattery, political corruption, United States
