The warning alarms were silent as people fle

The warning alarms were silent as people fled the fires  

Niklas Gustafsson  

 

Updated 17:52 | Published 17:48  

 

News 

 

Hawaii claims to have one of the world's best natural disaster warning systems.  

 

But as people fled for their lives, the warning sirens did not sound.  

 

Instead, the authorities should have warned via radio and mobile phones, the range of which may have been limited by several power outages.  

 

The Maui fires, which are the deadliest in the country since 85 people died in the California wildfires in 2018, continue to ravage the state.  

 

At least 55 people have died and the death toll is believed to rise as rescue efforts continue, according to the state's governor.  

 

Did not issue any warnings  

 

With around 400 sirens, the state describes its warning system as one of the "world's largest integrated outdoor warning systems for public safety", according to the AP.  

 

Several survivors now testify that they did not hear any sirens when they fled the fires. Only when they heard explosions and saw fires nearby did people, who the AP news agency spoke to, understand that they were in danger. 

 

         

          Warning system in Hawaii that will send out sirens in case of disasters. Photo: Caleb Jones/AP  

 

Why the sirens did not sound is unclear. But the authorities instead chose to warn via mobile phones, television and radio. At the same time, the island had suffered from several power outages and disruptions in the mobile network, which may have limited the extent to which the warnings came through.  

 

A spokesperson for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency says they have no information that the warning sirens went off when the fire started in the town of Lahaina.  

 

A large part of the communication had been knocked out in the city when the fire broke out. Whether the warnings sent to all phones expired before the mobile network went down is unclear.

            

           Thousands of buildings have burned to the ground. Photo: Rick Bowmer/AP  

 

Didn't get a message on the phone  

 

A witness CBS News spoke with chose to flee Lahaina before the fire reached the city.  

 

"We decided it was not safe to stop," says the witness.  

 

As he fled the city, he heard no warnings. He also received no instructions or calls to evacuate.  

 

“I have not received any warning, at any time. There is nothing on my phone,” he says.  

 

On Thursday, Governor Josh Green walked around the ruins of the city. 

 

"With a few exceptions, Lahaina has been burned to the ground," the governor said, saying it "undoubtedly feels like a bomb" dropped on the city. Hundreds of homes are said to have burned down and over 100 buildings have been destroyed.

 

Photo: Alan Dickar/AP