Emergency management leaders were attending a crisis conference in Hawaii when a wildfire suddenly broke out.

The Deadliest American Wildfire Strikes Maui During Disaster Management Conference

The country’s top disaster management leaders and Hawaii’s senior emergency officials were gathered at a conference in Waikiki, just a half-hour plane ride away from Maui, to discuss crisis management when​ tragedy struck. The‍ deadliest American wildfire in a century swept through the island, leaving residents⁢ devastated and questioning the government’s⁣ lack of planning and response.

The conference,‌ an annual event organized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, brought together the “who’s who” of disaster⁤ response from Hawaii ​and across the Pacific. However, the residents of Maui expressed their frustration⁣ over the absence of organized evacuations and the lack of practice⁢ in wildfire evacuation plans and procedures. Some received emergency alerts, but others were left in confusion as the thick smoke ‍engulfed the island, making it impossible to find a way out.

Gina Lawless, who lost her home ⁢to the flames, voiced the sentiments of many affected residents, saying, “So many people that I know say we‌ never knew. We never knew anything about the fire.”

Controversy⁢ Surrounding the Former Head of Maui Emergency Management Agency

Herman Andaya, the former head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, was ⁢present at the conference in Waikiki. Alongside him were six state emergency management officials. During a coordinating call about the multiple wildfires on Big Island and ‌Maui, Andaya made the decision not to activate ‌the siren warning system. He ‍later stepped down from ⁣his position, citing health reasons.

Andaya’s reasoning for ‌not using the sirens, claiming they were typically reserved for tsunamis, did not sit well with ‌residents like Alex Calma, who lost his home. Calma expressed his ⁣frustration, saying, “If I would have heard the siren that morning, I would have at least prepared, you know, ‌packed something in my car, called my parents.”

The Devastation and Aftermath

The Maui wildfires have been⁢ deemed the deadliest in modern U.S. history, ​resulting in the destruction of nearly 3,000 structures and causing billions of ‌dollars in damage. The death toll stands at 113, with at least ⁣1,000 people still⁣ unaccounted for. President Joe Biden visited the ​affected‍ areas on Monday⁢ to assess the extent of the damage.