Questions raised about why Maui’s emergency alert sirens were silent as Lahaina burned

In the aftermath of the tragedy in Maui last week, some have questioned why the island’s emergency alert sirens—which are a part of the largest public safety outdoor siren system in the world—remained silent as wind-driven wildfire raced toward Lahaina. During a press briefing Wednesday, Herman Andaya, former administrator of the Maui County Emergency Management Agency, stood by his agency’s response. Andaya has since resigned.

He reiterated in the briefing: “I do not” regret not activating the system.

“The sirens, as I mentioned earlier, are used primarily for tsunamis,” Andaya said. “The public is trained to seek higher ground when the siren is sounded. If you are in a low-lying area, evacuate to higher ground. Had we sounded the siren that night, we were afraid people would have gone ‘mauka’ [higher inland],” into the fire.

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen announced Thursday that he’d accepted Andaya’s resignation, effective immediately.

“Given the gravity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I will be placing someone in this key position as quickly as possible and I look forward to making that announcement soon,” Bissen said.

Instead of activating the sirens, Andaya’s organization exclusively issued wireless EAS alerts, which are sent to TV, radio, cable and satellite services, and WEA text messaging alerts, which go to compatible mobile devices.

Andaya noted during Wednesday’s press briefing that the four sirens that are in the Lahaina area are all situated by the ocean, and that the system has never been used during a wildfire anywhere in Hawaii—although the sirens’ dedicated website lists alerting residents to the danger of wildfire as one of its purposes. The sirens are a part of the larger 80-siren Hawaii Statewide Alert and Warning System, and includes FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.

The system’s website further advises residents that, “When a siren tone is heard other than a scheduled test, tune into local radio/TV/cable stations for emergency information and instructions by official authorities. If you are in a low-laying area near the coastline; evacuate to high grounds, inland, or vertically to the fourth floor and higher of a concrete building. Alerts may also come in form of a wireless emergency alert.”

The sirens are tested once per month. An imeding natural disaster is signaled by a steady, three-minute long siren tone. A man-made attack is indicated by a “wailing three-minute siren tone,” according to the website.

While firefighters were battling in the field last Monday, an emergency operations center was set up to oversee the situation from afar, according to Andaya, and officials issued a partial activation of relevant emergency management staffing as soon as they knew of potential danger. When conditions deteriorated Tuesday, Andaya said the emergency management operation was already in “full activation” status.

“We will review the process, but again, most of the sirens are located on the coastline. That day in Lahaina—it’s an outdoor siren—a lot of people who are indoors. They’re not going to hear a siren,” he said, speculating that loud wind gusts might have further impeded their auditory effectiveness. “They wouldn’t have heard the sirens.”

Andaya, who noted he was on Oahu at the time of the incident, said his organization knew exactly what was happening on the ground throughout the disaster, including that people were in imminent danger. He heard from a battalion fire chief that “their crews were being overrun. And at that point, we sent out the evacuation notices,” he said. “The emergency operation center was in full activation that night, and we had in our EOC representation from the fire department, and they were in constant communication with the field.”

As of Wednesday, officials said at least 110 people have been confirmed dead so far, with first responders having searched through 38% of the affected area. Currently, about 40 recovery dogs are working in the area, and the FEMA team has increased to nearly 500 people.

As responders continue their recovery effort, Gov. Josh Green said he’s instructed the state’s attorney general to begin a comprehensive review of the incident, including the response. He also vowed to protect landowners who might be pressured to sell their land in the wake of the tragedy. Green said his administration intends to enact a moratorium on land transactions in Lahaina.

“People have wondered about land. That’s come up on several occasions. My intention, from start to finish, is to make sure that no one is victimized from a land grab. That we do not suffer predation against those who are suffering,” Green said. “There are some legal challenges there. We’re going to push right through those and make sure no one loses their land.”