Lahaina, California, awoken by the sunspot and the burnings of 14 days after the Hurricane Katrina
Brenda Ligia Makani Keau could see one of Maui’s siren towers from her back room window. The island has a routine test to ensure the emergency warning system works.
DeYoung argues for a multi-tiered warning system because some residents who lack cable or poor service never received any emergency warnings due to the lack of cable.
He didn’t have an explanation but did say that three warning systems were used, such as the alert to cellphones and TV and radio stations. The size and speed of the catastrophe was a mystery to us.
“We have never had a wildfire this strong in modern times,” he said. “The challenges of defending lives and property against natural hazards have been changing as the climate changes.”
As of Sunday, the wildfires have killed at least 93 people — becoming the deadliest in modern U.S. history. Thousands of acres have been burned. The historic town of Lahaina is nearly decimated. Many people are still 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 a researcher from East Tennessee State University
The first sirens in the state were sounded in 1940. Chris, a geology professor at East Tennessee State University, said they were designed for military use in case of enemy attacks.
In 1960, when a major tsunami hit Hilo, researchers learned that many residents didn’t know the meaning of the siren sound or what to do next — both of which may have contributed to the death toll, Gregg said. 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 need time to figure out what to do when there is an emergency. Fires can cause a lot of time lost, 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.
“I’ve seen folks do things creatively in other fires that end up saving their lives,” she said. You could still take that kind of protection even if you only have a few moments.
But when scores of wildfires crept up, Keau from Makawao did not hear the sirens go off. She didn’t get any notifications on her phone. Instead, Keau learned about the impending flames through social media. Keau saw a red and orange fire in the same window where he saw the sirens.
In West Maui, Kekoa Lansford, who was born and raised in Lahaina, similarly saw black smoke billowing from a distance before he heard any word from local officials.
Source: A history of Hawaii’s sirens and the difference it could have made against Maui fires
Hawaiian Electric Firefighters’ Report on the Situation in the Lahaina Fire: Is It Still Frustrated? Reply to Kimura at Pelletier
According to him, residents began to flood the streets and traffic extended for miles, making it nearly impossible to evacuate. If they had been notified minutes earlier, more people could have survived.
While there is still no information about what sparked the fires, Hawaiian Electric has faced scrutiny in recent days about why they chose not to shut off the power when the island was facing strong winds.
Kimura said at the news conference that it was not universally accepted that the shut off practice creates a hardship for those who have higher risk medical needs. So, these programs, particularly for elder or other vulnerable people with specialized medical equipment, this can be a very high risk for them. So that’s why many don’t have it.”
Green was asked questions about Hawaii’s readiness for the fires at the news conference. He said that he asked the attorney general to review the decisions made by the officials related to the fire.
According to Shelee Kimura, CEO of the utility Hawaiian Electric, power has been restored power for all but about 2,000 buildings out of 12,400 that initially lost it (not counting those that were destroyed), though 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 the area. So far, he added, they’ve only obtained three positive IDs from fingerprints on the 99 confirmed dead. Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen urged anyone missing family members to visit the Family Assistance Center and provide DNA swabs so that identifications could be made for those who are still unaccounted for.
The perimeter of the Lahaina fire has not been expanded, as far as I know, says the Maui County Fire Chief. He said local officials will fly helicopters over the area on Tuesday to check for 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.
Josh Green said at the news conference that it was frustrating. “Stage 0 is getting through all the properties where those who have passed are. When we get out of that, we’ll be able to open the road completely, which will make everything a lot easier.”
Source: The number of dead from Maui’s fires rises as local residents press to see Lahaina
The death toll from the Maui fires rose to 99 in a lurchine-like state with a strong sunspot
The death toll from the Maui wildfires rose to at least 99 on Monday as local and state officials warned that it would rise while acknowledging public frustration from residents still barred from visiting Lahaina.