The difference it could have made against Maui fires is a history of Hawaii’s sirens

The Maui Wildfires: Big Bad Thing? Managing the Big Thunder: Witnessing Big Doomsday with Maui’s Emergency Warning System

Brenda Ligia Makani Keau could see one of Maui’s siren towers from her back room window. She heard its loud blares less than two weeks ago as part of the island’s routine test to ensure the emergency warning system works.

Some Maui residents say they didn’t get alert because of poor service, or lack of cable TV, and that’s the reason why DeYoung wants a multi-tiered warning system.

He did not give a reason for why, but he said that three warning systems were used, such as alerts to cellphones and through TV and radio stations. Weintraub added the speed and size of the catastrophe was unforeseeable.

He said that this is the strongest wildfire he has ever seen in modern times. “The challenges of defending lives and property against natural hazards have been changing as the climate changes.”

The wildfires have killed at least 93 people as of Sunday, making them the deadliest in US history. Thousands of acres have been burned. The historic town of Lahaina is nearly decimated. Countless number of people remain missing. And the blazes have yet to be fully contained.

A history of Hawaii’s sirens and the difference it could have made against Maui fires, according to Lahaina, Hawaii

The state’s first sirens date back as early as 1940. At the time, they were designed for military use in case of enemy attacks, according to Chris Gregg, a geology professor at East Tennessee State University who studied Hawaii’s siren system.

When a big earthquake hit Hawaii in 1960, many people didn’t know what to do and may have contributed to the death toll. That led to one single steady tone, linked to all natural disasters, in order to grab people’s attention.

“That’s the limitation of these sirens, they don’t tell you exactly what to do,” said Sarah DeYoung, a professor at the University of Delaware who studies disaster preparedness.

People require time to figure out the emergency at hand and what the proper response is. It can be difficult to keep up with wildfires, like the ones seen in Maui.

According to DeYoung, once a person sees signs of an impending fire, they could have as little as three minutes to evacuate before the situation becomes life-threatening.

She said that she had seen people do things creatively in fires that saved their lives. Even though you have just a few fleeting moments, you can still take that kind of protective action.

But when scores of wildfires crept up, Keau from Makawao did not hear the sirens go off. Nor did she receive any alerts on her phone. Keau learned through social media about the impending flames. Later, in the same window that viewed the siren, Keau saw a red and orange inferno.

Kekoa Lansford, who was born and raised in Lahaina, witnessed black smoke from a distance and did not hear anything from the local officials.

Source: A history of Hawaii’s sirens and the difference it could have made against Maui fires

The numbers of dead from Maui’s fires rise to see Lahaina: Hawaii State’s Attorney General Sheldon Green says it is “Frustrating”

According to him, residents began to flood the streets and traffic extended for miles, making it nearly impossible to evacuate. Lansford believes there were more people that could have survived if they had been notified earlier.

Hawaiian Electric faced scrutiny recently about why they decided not to shut off the power when the island was facing strong winds.

Kimura said in a news conference that the shut-off practice was controversial and not universally accepted and that it created a hardship for higher risk customers. So, these programs, particularly for elder or other vulnerable people with specialized medical equipment, this can be a very high risk for them. Many don’t have it because of that.

Green was at a news conference about Hawaii’s preparation for the fires. He said that he had asked the state’s attorney general to conduct a thorough review of the policies and decisions of officials related to the fire.

Out of 12,400 buildings that lost power, only about 2,000 of them have it back. Though Shelee Kimura claims that power has been restored to all, a lot of work still needs to be done to permanently fix infrastructure.

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said that 25% of the Lahaina area has been searched with the help of cadaver dogs. By this weekend their goal is to have searched 85% of that area. He said that they’ve only gotten three positive IDs from fingerprints on 99 dead people. The mayor encouraged missing family members to visit the Family Assistance Center and give a DNA sample so that identification could be made of those still missing.

The Lahaina fire’s perimeter has been cool and hasn’t expanded, according to the Maui County Fire Chief. He said local officials will use helicopter to check out the remaining hot spots. The only other active fire is the Upcountry/Kula fire, which has proved more difficult to put out because of inaccessible terrain such as forests and gulches.

“We know that it’s frustrating,” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said at a news conference. “Stage 0 is going through the properties where people have passed.” Everything will be a lot easier when we open the road after we get out of that.

Source: The number of dead from Maui’s fires rises as local residents press to see Lahaina

The Maui Wildfires ’99: The death toll is still at the Maui spherical peak and authorities say they will keep coming back

The death toll from the Maui wildfires rose to at least 99 on Monday as local and state officials warned that number would rise while also acknowledging public frustration from residents still barred from visiting Lahaina.