Hawaii’s ‘First Line of Defense’ Likely Failed During Maui Fires, Says Congresswoman

Amid the already devastating wildfires raging in Maui, Hawaii, breakdowns in the warning system appear to have exacerbated the catastrophe.

Hawaii Democratic Rep. Jill Tokuda said in a Sunday interview on CBS News that the sirens used to alert local occupants of impending danger “likely did not go off” during the fires.

“Sadly, tragically in this situation, those sirens likely did not go off,” Tokuda said.

Hawaii Rep. @JillTokuda said the warning sirens may not have activated ahead of the devastating #MauiWildfires, failing to alert people about the incoming threat. https://t.co/BRJhgTjo6o

— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) August 14, 2023

Tokuda noted that people in her state rely so heavily on the alerts that “everybody who’s ever lived in Hawaii knows the warning sirens.”

She emphasized that this system is so important that the state tests it monthly.

“It goes off once a month, at the beginning of the month, at 12 noon. And it blares. And if it doesn’t, it gets fixed because that is our first line of defense,” she said.

The sirens seem to have been silent from the beginning of the fire, which a Maui County press release said began on Aug. 8.

“Neither Maui nor HI-EMA activated warning sirens on Maui [went off] during the wildfire incident,” Hawaii Emergency Services Administration confirmed on Friday, according to NBC News.