“We are prepared for many tragic stories” – The official toll so far from the devastating fires in Hawaii is 96 dead – Lawmaker: Sirens were not activated
In a statement of shock, which exceeds the most nightmare estimates for the victims of the devastating fires, the governor of Hawaii made Josh Green. The death toll in Hawaii from the deadliest wildfire in the US in more than a century it rose to 96 on Sunday.
“More deaths will be announced,” Green told CBS News that “the fire was so hot that it’s hard to identify anyone.” Only 3% of the survey area has been tested, and approx 1,300 people are still missing.
Especially in Lahaina—a historic Hawaiian city that suffered the most damage— it may take 10 days for to determine the exact number of dead, as crews could find “10 to 20 people a day probably until they run out.”
“We are prepared for many tragic stories” admitted the state governor.
Access to Lahaina has proven difficult for rescuers. Green has surveyed the ruins of the city twice, and said the extent of the destruction left the area unrecognizable. “There is nothing to see apart from complete destruction. The buildings are almost non-existent,” he said.
Hawaii has warning system with sirens, which can be used to alert residents before natural disasters such as tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, volcanic eruptions or man-made events, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.
But U.S. Rep. Jill Tokunda, whose district includes Maui, said the sirens did not activate, implying that the Lahaina fire spread too quickly.
The issue of the emergency alerts and why the sirens were not activated is something Gov. Green said will be investigated by the state attorney general.
The investigation, Green said, aims “not to blame anyone, but to say why this one worked and the other didn’t.”
Despite the failure of the alarmsGreen said that due to the intensity of the fire and the weather conditions on Maui when the fires broke out, crews had limited options to slow the fire.
“If you put a fire engine in the way of flames coming at 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) an hour, the fire engine would have burned, along with the people” he argued. “So it’s unlikely that much could have been done other than of course moving people earlier, and that’s what we’re going to talk about.”
Source :Skai
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