Leroy N. Soetoro
2023-08-19 00:14:10 UTC
https://nypost.com/2023/08/17/maui-emergency-chief-herman-andaya-resigns-
after-defending-siren-decision/
The head of Mauis Emergency Management Agency stepped down Thursday
just one day after he defended his controversial decision not to activate
the island-wide alarm system as devastating wildfires ripped across the
island.
Chief Herman Andaya handed in his resignation, citing health reasons,
according to Mayor Richard Bissen.
His departure is effective immediately, meaning the top spot for the
emergency department will be vacant as the decimated island grapples with
the aftermath of the inferno that killed at least 111 people.
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, Mayor Bissen said in a
statement.
Andayas qualifications for the role came into question after he fell
under harsh criticism on his chosen course of action when alerting Maui
residents to evacuate as flames raced toward their homes.
During a media briefing Wednesday, the former MEMA chief said he does not
regret failing to sound the blaring alarms when aggressively pressed by a
reporter who insinuated that the system could have saved hundreds of
lives.
Andaya asserted that the blaring sirens are typically reserved for tsunami
warnings and that Hawaiians are trained to seek higher ground when they
are set off.
Hawaiis official government website, however, lists wildfires as one of
the disasters that the all-hazard could be used for.
Even if we sounded the siren, we would not have saved those people out
there on the mountainside, Andaya said.
He also defended his professional record, telling reporters he was
thoroughly vetted and heavily trained before taking the lead role in 2017.
Andaya does not, however, have any direct experience in emergency
management other than coordinating with the agency during his tenure in
the housing department and as a staffer in the mayors cabinet.
He was asked whether he would consider handing the reigns over to someone
else but dodged the question.
He did not immediately respond to The Posts request for comment.
As of Thursday, rescue teams searched through at least 45% of the burn
area and confirmed that 111 people were found dead, though the toll is
expected to climb as officials comb through the rubble.
Thousands of displaced residents have been placed in shelters, hotels and
Airbnb units, while tens of thousands of homes and businesses are still
without power.
The cause of the wildfires, already the deadliest in the US in more than a
century, is under investigation.
--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.
after-defending-siren-decision/
The head of Mauis Emergency Management Agency stepped down Thursday
just one day after he defended his controversial decision not to activate
the island-wide alarm system as devastating wildfires ripped across the
island.
Chief Herman Andaya handed in his resignation, citing health reasons,
according to Mayor Richard Bissen.
His departure is effective immediately, meaning the top spot for the
emergency department will be vacant as the decimated island grapples with
the aftermath of the inferno that killed at least 111 people.
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, Mayor Bissen said in a
statement.
Andayas qualifications for the role came into question after he fell
under harsh criticism on his chosen course of action when alerting Maui
residents to evacuate as flames raced toward their homes.
During a media briefing Wednesday, the former MEMA chief said he does not
regret failing to sound the blaring alarms when aggressively pressed by a
reporter who insinuated that the system could have saved hundreds of
lives.
Andaya asserted that the blaring sirens are typically reserved for tsunami
warnings and that Hawaiians are trained to seek higher ground when they
are set off.
Hawaiis official government website, however, lists wildfires as one of
the disasters that the all-hazard could be used for.
Even if we sounded the siren, we would not have saved those people out
there on the mountainside, Andaya said.
He also defended his professional record, telling reporters he was
thoroughly vetted and heavily trained before taking the lead role in 2017.
Andaya does not, however, have any direct experience in emergency
management other than coordinating with the agency during his tenure in
the housing department and as a staffer in the mayors cabinet.
He was asked whether he would consider handing the reigns over to someone
else but dodged the question.
He did not immediately respond to The Posts request for comment.
As of Thursday, rescue teams searched through at least 45% of the burn
area and confirmed that 111 people were found dead, though the toll is
expected to climb as officials comb through the rubble.
Thousands of displaced residents have been placed in shelters, hotels and
Airbnb units, while tens of thousands of homes and businesses are still
without power.
The cause of the wildfires, already the deadliest in the US in more than a
century, is under investigation.
--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.