Emergency chief argues it would have been worse for residents. Meanwhile, the governor has warned opportunists not to approach anyone with “land grabs”.
The emergency management chief of the Hawaiian island of Maui has defended his agency’s decision against sounding sirens during last week’s deadly fire amid questions about whether doing so might have saved lives.
“The public is trained to seek higher ground in the event that the siren is sounded,” Andaya said during a press conference, which grew tense at times as reporters questioned the government’s response. Because the sirens are primarily located on the waterfront, they would have been useless to people on higher ground, he said.
He said he had instructed the state attorney-general to work towards a moratorium on land transactions in Lahaina. He acknowledged the move would likely face legal challenges.“People are right now traumatised. Please do not approach them with an offer to buy their land. Do not approach their families saying they’ll be much better off if they make a deal. Because we’re not going to allow it.”
Twenty cadaver dogs have led teams on a block-by-block search that have covered 38 per cent of the disaster area as of Thursday afternoon . The number of dogs would soon double to 40, Green said
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