Why did Herman Andaya resign? Maui County Chief's response over emergency sirens sparks outrage online

Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator, Herman Andaya, broke his silence about the sirens not ringing during a press conference on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. Andaya spoke about why the sirens didn't ring when Hawaii's second-largest island Maui was struck by wildfires on August 8, 2023.

He is the only official in Hawaii who is responsible for pulling warning sirens in case of natural or man-made disasters. However, on the fateful day, he didn't sound the sirens, as he said that the sirens were mainly used to warn against tsunamis. During the media conference, he was asked if he regretted his move and he went on record to say that he didn't.

“I do not," he told the press.

As soon as the clip of him saying that he didn't regret pulling the siren made its way to the internet, netizens began calling him out. While some held him responsible for the loss of lives and property in Maui, others said that the tragedy could have been avoided if the sirens were heard.

In the wake of all the criticism, one day after the press conference, Herman Andaya resigned from his post, citing "health reasons," as revealed by his office to the media. However, people believe he resigned to avoid further questions or alleged prosecution.

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Herman Andaya resigned as Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator under growing pressure of not sounding sirens

The news outlet Axios reported that it received a statement from Maui County and Maui Emergency Management Agency on Thursday, August 17, 2023. The statement said that their top official, administrator Herman Andaya, had resigned from his post with immediate effect citing "health reasons."

His resignation came in the wake of the criticism he received only after he failed to order sounding the emergency sirens at the right time on the day the Maui fires started. Since the fires began on August 8, 2023, they have claimed the lives of 111 people and led to a catastrophic loss of public and private properties.

Before he resigned, Herman Andaya had defended his and the agency's decision not to sound the alarms when he was asked about it during a press conference on Wednesday. He was asked by the press whether sounding the sirens would have saved lives. However, he said that the sirens were primarily meant for tsunamis and the residents of Maui were meant for tsunamis, and that the residents of Maui were only "trained to seek higher ground" when they heard the sirens. He added that it was for this reason that almost all of them were located on the coastlines.

He further said that if the sirens had sounded that night, people could have moved "mauka" or the mountainside" which would have worsened the situation. Herman added that this would have led people straight to the burning zones.

“I should also note that there are no sirens mauka, or on the mountainside, where the fire was spreading down. So, even if we sounded the sirens, [it] would not have saved those people on the mountainside, mauka,” he noted.

Herman Andaya also defended himself during the media conference saying that the agency’s “internal protocol” during wildfires was to use Wireless Emergency Alerts and Emergency Alert Systems. While the former sends text alerts to locals' phones, the latter sends alerts on TVs and radios.

“In a wildland fire incident, the (siren) system has not been used, either in Maui or in other jurisdictions around the state,” he said concluding his first statement since the fires began.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Herman Andaya was a graduate of the University of Hawaii. He was the administrator of the Maui Emergency Management Agency since 2017. Prior to that, between 2011 and 2017, he served as the chief of staff for the mayor of Maui. However, he began his career as the special assistant to the chancellor at the University of Hawaii, Maui.

According to Hawaii News Now, it is worth noting that on the night of the fire, Andaya was not present in Maui. However, he was on the island of Oahu where he was attending a three-day FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) disaster preparedness seminar.

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Netizens hold Herman Andaya under fire for his lack of action

Since the news of his resignation emerged on social media, people believe that the move had nothing to do with Herman Andaya's health. They believe it had everything to do with the growing pressure of public and media inquiry about why he did not set off the emergency sirens.

Before he resigned, netizens were slamming him for not doing his job properly and even held him responsible for the spread of the fire and its devastating aftermath. Others demanded his resignation and said that his actions were "pure evil."

Following Herman Andaya’s sudden resignation, Mayor Richard Bissen of Maui gave CBS News a statement.

“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,” the Mayor's statement read.

As per the state’s official website, the purpose of sirens was to warn people against several natural and human-caused events, including wildfires, and did not tally with Andaya’s statement.

As per NBC, over eighty outdoor sirens were present on Maui which stayed silent as people fled for their lives. In the wake of the disaster, concerns have been rising over why they never went off. Maui natives are claiming that more people could have been saved if they had time to escape with the sirens’ warning.

Meanwhile, Hawaii Governor Josh Green told CBS News last week that he launched an investigation with the attorney general. He has launched an investigation into Maui County’s emergency response “before, during, and after” the fire, including but not restricted to why the sirens did not go off.

As per Hawaii government, over 2700 properties were destroyed in the inferno, 111 lives were lost as of Thursday, and more than 1300 people were estimated to be missing.