{"id":2005005,"date":"2023-08-18T14:41:12","date_gmt":"2023-08-18T18:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mauis-top-emergency-official-is-out-amid-an-avalanche-of-criticism\/"},"modified":"2023-08-18T14:45:30","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T18:45:30","slug":"mauis-top-emergency-official-is-out-amid-an-avalanche-of-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mauis-top-emergency-official-is-out-amid-an-avalanche-of-criticism\/","title":{"rendered":"Maui&#8217;s emergency chief ousted amidst heavy criticism."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmauis-top-emergency-official-is-out-amid-an-avalanche-of-criticism%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2005005&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Maui&#8217;s Top \u200bEmergency Official Is Out Amid an Avalanche of Criticism<\/h2>\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/crews-working-to-contain-flag-fire-in-ariz\/\" title=\"Crews working to contain \u2018flag fire\u2019 in Ariz.\">emergency official<\/a> who \u2062defended a\u200b decision to not sound outdoor alert sirens on\u2063 Maui, Hawaii, \u200bas a ferocious fire raged has resigned.<\/p>\n<p>Maui Emergency \u2062Management Agency Administrator Herman \u200dAndaya \u2063said Wednesday \u2063that he had <strong>\u201cno regrets\u201d<\/strong> about not deploying the system because he\u200b feared it could have caused people to go <strong>\u201cmauka,\u201d<\/strong> a Hawaiian term that can mean toward \u200dthe mountains or inland.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Maui \u200cEmergency Management Agency Administrator \u200dHerman\u200b Andaya today \u2064defended the decision\u200b not \u200bto activate emergency \u200bsirens warning <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Maui?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Maui<\/a> residents and visitors about the wildfires. Here\u2019s a clip from the press conference.<\/p>\n<p>Details: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0m3zSd9QmD\">https:\/\/t.co\/0m3zSd9QmD<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HInews?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HInews<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/StarAdvertiser?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#StarAdvertiser<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lSe3iM6flj\">pic.twitter.com\/lSe3iM6flj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014\u2062 Star-Advertiser (@StarAdvertiser) \u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StarAdvertiser\/status\/1692029256337850745?\">August 17, \u20622023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He stepped down Thursday,\u200c just a day later.<\/p>\n<p>The decision to not use the sirens, coupled\u200b with water shortages that hampered firefighters and \u2064an \u2062escape route clogged \u200cwith vehicles that were overrun by flames, has brought intense\u200b criticism from many <a href=\"http:\/\/westernjournal.com\/maui-residents-message-joe-biden-ahead-visit-dont-want\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">residents<\/a> following the deadliest wildfire in the U.S.\u2063 in more\u200c than a \u200ccentury.<\/p>\n<p>With the death toll at \u2063111, the search\u2064 for the missing moved beyond the devastated town of Lahaina to \u2062other communities that were destroyed. Teams had covered about 58 percent of the Lahaina area and the \u200cfire \u200bwas 90 percent\u200b contained as \u2063of Thursday night, \u200cMaui County officials \u200csaid.<\/p>\n<p>Mayor Richard \u2063Bissen accepted Andaya\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-democratic-lieutenant-governor-resigns-after-arrest\/\" title=\"New York Democratic Lieutenant Governor Resigns After Arrest\">resignation effective immediately<\/a>, the County of Maui announced on Facebook.<\/p>\n<p>Andaya cited unspecified\u200d health reasons for leaving his post, with \u200bno further details provided.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGiven the gravity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I\u2063 will be placing\u2062 someone in this key position as quickly as possible and I\u2064 look forward to \u200cmaking that \u2062announcement \u200bsoon,\u201d Bissen said in \u200cthe statement.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062lack of sirens has emerged as a potential misstep, part of a series of communication issues that added to the chaos, according to reporting by The Associated Press.<\/p>\n<p>Hawaii has what it touts as the largest \u2062system of outdoor alert sirens \u2062in the world, created after a\u2063 1946 tsunami\u2064 that killed more\u2063 than 150\u200c on\u2063 the Big\u200c Island. Its website says\u200c they\u2062 may be used to alert for fires.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, Andaya\u200b vigorously \u2064defended \u200bhis\u200c qualifications for the job, which he had held since 2017. He said he was not appointed but \u2064had been vetted,\u200c took a civil service exam\u200c and was interviewed \u200dby seasoned\u200b emergency managers.<\/p>\n<p>Andaya said\u2064 he had previously been \u200ddeputy director of the Maui County \u200cDepartment of Housing\u200c and \u2064Human Concerns and\u200c chief of staff for former Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa for \u206311 years.<\/p>\n<p>During\u2062 that time, he said, he \u200doften reported\u2064 to \u201cemergency operations centers\u201d \u2064and participated in\u2064 numerous trainings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo to say that I\u2019m not qualified I think is \u2064incorrect,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Arakawa, \u2062who noted Andaya was scrutinized for the\u2064 job by the county\u2019s personnel service, said \u200bhe was \u200ddisappointed by the resignation \u201cbecause now \u200bwe\u2019re out one person\u2063 who is really qualified.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was trying \u200bto be \u200dstrong and trying\u200b to do the job,\u201d Arakawa said\u200d about the wildfire response. \u201cHe was very, very heartbroken about all the things\u200d that happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hawaii \u200dAttorney General\u200b Anne Lopez said earlier Thursday that an \u2063outside organization \u200cwill conduct \u201can\u200b impartial, independent\u201d review of the government\u2019s response\u200c and officials intend \u201cto facilitate\u200b any \u200dnecessary corrective action and to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mauis-top-emergency-official-is-out-amid-an-avalanche-of-criticism\/\" title=\"Maui's emergency chief ousted amidst heavy criticism.\">advance future emergency\u2063 preparedness<\/a>.\u201d \u2063The \u2062investigation will likely take months, she added.<\/p>\n<p>Corrine Hussey \u2063Nobriga said\u2064 it\u200b was hard to lay blame for a tragedy that \u2064took\u2063 everyone \u2062by \u2062surprise, even if some\u2062 of her neighbors raised questions about the absence of sirens and inadequate evacuation routes.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/hawaii-regulators-utility-company-knew-fire-hazards-yet-failed-act-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fire<\/a> moved quickly through her\u200d neighborhood, though her\u200b home was spared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne minute we saw the fire \u200cover there,\u201d\u2064 she said, pointing toward faraway hills, \u201cand the next minute \u2064it\u2019s consuming all these houses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Displaced residents are steadily filling hotels\u200d that are prepared to house them and provide services until at \u2062least next spring.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities hope to \u200bempty crowded, uncomfortable group\u2063 shelters by early next week, said Brad Kieserman, vice president for\u200b disaster operations with the American Red Cross.<\/p>\n<p>Hotels also are\u200c available for eligible evacuees who have spent the last eight days sleeping in cars or camping in parking lots, he \u2064said.<\/p>\n<p>Contracts with the hotels will last for at least seven\u2064 months but could easily be extended, he said. Service providers at the properties will offer meals, counseling, financial assistance and \u200bother disaster aid.<\/p>\n<p>Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has said\u200c at \u200bleast 1,000 hotel rooms will\u200b be set aside. In \u200caddition, Airbnb said its nonprofit wing will provide properties for \u20631,000 people.<\/p>\n<p>The governor also has vowed to protect local landowners from being \u201cvictimized\u201d by opportunistic \u200bbuyers.<\/p>\n<p>Green said Wednesday\u200c he instructed the\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nevada-trump-campaign-says-clark-county-registrar-joe-gloria-hiding-from-subpoena-service\/\" title=\"Nevada: Trump Campaign Says Clark County Registrar Joe Gloria Hiding From Subpoena Service\">state attorney general<\/a> to work toward a moratorium on land transactions in Lahaina, even as he acknowledged \u2063that would likely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-state-legislature-passes-fetal-heartbeat-abortion-bill\/\" title=\"Texas state legislature passes fetal heartbeat abortion bill\">face legal challenges<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Since the flames consumed much \u200bof Lahaina more than a week ago, locals have feared a rebuilt town could become even more oriented toward wealthy visitors.<\/p>\n<p>The cause of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/hawaii-dem-horrified-bidens-callous-comment-americans-dying-maui\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wildfires<\/a> is under investigation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: italic\">The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior \u200dto publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mauis-top-emergency-official-amid-avalanche-criticism\/\">Maui&#8217;s Top Emergency \u200dOfficial Is Out Amid an Avalanche of Criticism<\/a> appeared\u200b first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\">The Western Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An emergency official in Maui, Hawaii, has resigned after refusing to activate outdoor alert sirens during a fierce fire. Herman Andaya, the Administrator of Maui Emergency Management Agency, stated that he had no regrets about his decision, as he feared it might lead people to go &#8220;mauka,&#8221; a Hawaiian term.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2005006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2005005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2005005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2005005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2005005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2005006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2005005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2005005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2005005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}