Catastrophic fires on Maui: Why did alarms stay silent? Lives lost, technology in the crossfire.
On the island of Maui, a devastating wildfire has claimed the lives of at least 80 people and destroyed about 1,700 buildings. Hawaii State Senator Angus McKelvey is among those who criticized the measures taken to warn and evacuate the population. He told USA Today from his own terrifying experience of hearing no alarms or evacuation instructions and watching the town of Lahaina burn.
The warnings did indeed come: on Sunday, the National Weather Service had issued a “fire weather warning” for the state, and on Monday, a “red flag warning.” These warnings were favored by Hurricane Dora and strong winds. Despite these official signs, however, there were doubts about whether local officials had given residents adequate warning. USA Today reports that Hawaii Emergency Management records showed no evidence that warning sirens were sounded. Instead of sirens, emergency warnings were broadcast via cell phones, televisions and radios, but technical problems may have limited their coverage.
Fire Department Stripped of Gear
Another issue was the fire department’s lack of equipment and personnel. Bobby Lee, president of the Hawaii Firefighters Association, pointed out that the Maui Fire Department is responsible for three islands but has a limited number of vehicles and personnel.
The scale of the devastation surprised even experts. Karl Kim of the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center emphasized to USA Today the unpredictability of wildfires compared to other natural disasters. He emphasized the need to invest in technology that detects fires early, especially in remote, fire-prone areas.
The tragedy clearly shows that despite the warning systems and infrastructure in place, much work remains to be done on prevention and response to such disasters.
Image: The National Guard, Hawaii National Guard – 53105997057CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, (no changes made)