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Maui’s mayor ‘not sure’ who was in charge at emergency management center as Lahaina burned
Hawaii News Now ^ | August 29, 2023 | By Allyson Blair

Posted on 08/30/2023 3:54:00 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

HONOLULU - Three weeks after a wall of fire claimed at least 115 lives and turned historic Lahaina to ash, Maui County’s highest-ranking official said he didn’t know who was calling the shots at the county’s Emergency Management Center the day the town burned.

“I’m not sure who was in charge. (Former Maui Emergency Management Administrator) Herman Andaya was still in charge. He just wasn’t present. He was in contact with his team. I guess by phone. I don’t know exactly how,” Bissen said, during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

When questioned about his whereabouts that day, Bissen said he attended a virtual meeting with other state and county leaders that morning to discuss the multiple brush fires that had broken out on Hawaii Island and Maui. But he wouldn’t tell reporters where he was the rest of the day.

“I don’t have that. I don’t have that for you,” he said.

He also couldn’t explain why the head of Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, wasn’t notified anyone had died until the following day. “I don’t know who spoke to General Hara,” Bissen said. “That’s my answer to your question.”

A reporter then asked Hara: “We don’t know how many people maybe died waiting for a response. You don’t think there was anything your agency could have done?”

Hara responded: “Personally, I don’t think so.”

For weeks Hawaii News Now Now has been asking questions on who was in charge of Maui's Emergency Command Center the night of the deadly fire.

(Excerpt) Read more at hawaiinewsnow.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Hawaii
KEYWORDS: bloodytheirhands; duhimthemayorduh; fire; hawaii; hermanandaya; idunno; lahaina; maui; stupidliberals
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Anyone know why someone is putting up a fence/wall around the burned out areas and who the foreign “police” are?


61 posted on 08/30/2023 9:22:19 AM PDT by The Louiswu (PEDO JOE MUST GO!!!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Democrats in charge in Hawaii: Not my job man


62 posted on 08/30/2023 12:02:10 PM PDT by minnesota_bound (Need more money to buy everything now)
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To: EEGator

#22 Th clintons wanted the gold there. obama wanted to help the terrorists take.


63 posted on 08/30/2023 12:05:57 PM PDT by minnesota_bound (Need more money to buy everything now)
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To: minnesota_bound

Qadaffi spoke of the AU going on a gold standard African dollar.
Next thing you know…


64 posted on 08/30/2023 12:10:35 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: The Great RJ

#59 it was 5 months before that they tested the sirens.
18% failed so I guess their solution was to just turn OFF ALL the sirens....


65 posted on 08/30/2023 12:50:15 PM PDT by minnesota_bound (Need more money to buy everything now)
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To: EEGator
"That, is Hawaii in a nutshell.
Incompetence, and likely nepotism, is D-Hawaii.
From top to bottom, incompetence that could have mitigated this disaster in numerous ways.
"
Sometimes these days, the result of incompetence is so pervasive that it seems planned.
66 posted on 08/30/2023 5:27:25 PM PDT by Hiddigeigei ("Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish," said Dionysus - Euripides)
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To: Hiddigeigei

I understand, but to have so many stupid people do the exact stupid thing is unlikely.

I couldn’t have designed it better.

No way numerous retards got everything right…


67 posted on 08/30/2023 5:34:40 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: The Great RJ

sioux city was a training area for b-17 pilots, including my father. he told me that pilot training b-17 crashes there were a frequent occurrence.


68 posted on 08/30/2023 8:23:08 PM PDT by SteveH
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To: JohnBovenmyer

Because it would be the right thing to do.

For once.


69 posted on 08/30/2023 10:02:56 PM PDT by Cen-Tejas
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To: All

Response timeline will not be released, Maui County officials say

Peter Boylan
Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Aug. 30, 2023

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2023/08/30/hawaii-news/response-timeline-will-not-be-released-maui-county-officials-say/

(note: one comment claims that a timeline will not be released by the county until compelled by the state AG
investigation at the behest of Gov. Green, and therefore instigating that investigation was a big mistake by Gov. Green)


70 posted on 08/31/2023 4:20:17 PM PDT by SteveH
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To: All

Lahaina Fire and Evacuation Timeline

BelievingDisbeliever
Aug. 12, 2023

https://www.reddit.com/r/Hawaii/comments/15ok86f/comment/jvtnn6t/

(note: even though lacking some details that officials have not yet released, this is the most comprehensive attempt at a timeline for the lahaina fire that i have seen so far)


71 posted on 08/31/2023 6:39:12 PM PDT by SteveH
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To: All

Maui mayor faces calls to resign as questions about county’s wildfire response grow

Allyson Blair
Hawaii News Now

Aug. 30, 2023 at 9:21 PM PDT|Updated: 21 hours ago

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/08/31/mauis-mayor-faces-calls-resign-questions-about-countys-wildfire-response-grow/


72 posted on 08/31/2023 7:09:08 PM PDT by SteveH
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To: All

This is the maui emergency management agency division web page:

https://www.mauicounty.gov/70/Emergency-Management-Agency

at this moment, there is no department director. herman andaya was the previous director who resigned one week after the lahaina fire. apparently he had been in that position since 2018. there department is summarily described in the maui county charter, section 8, chapter 16 (p. 37):

https://www.mauicounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/139187/CHARTER-—January-2023

the entire department is described in a single short paragraph. there is no description of a director or deputy director. the department is supervised by the fire and public safety commission (not the mayor directly). the commission is appointed by the mayor with the approval of the county council.

mayor bessin took office about 8 months ago.

imho if there is no formal director described in the charter, the director seems not to have any formal duties, including hiring and firing personnel, and can only make recommendations to the commission (this could lead to an administrative problem within the agency imho.) in addition, the director seems to have no formal deputy director to assist him in external or internal matters, or to take over responsibility during his absence or vacation.

there is no indication of how many employees there are in the department, or its budget.


73 posted on 08/31/2023 8:10:58 PM PDT by SteveH
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To: All

VIDEO: Maui mayor gives timeline of what he did during start of Maui fires

Elizabeth Ufi
KHON2 TV

Aug 31, 2023 / 06:59 PM HST

https://www.khon2.com/local-news/video-maui-mayor-gives-timeline-of-what-he-did-during-start-of-maui-fires/


74 posted on 08/31/2023 10:11:58 PM PDT by SteveH
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To: All

Bissen said he wasn’t aware of deaths in Lahaina until morning after devastating blaze

HawaiiNewsNow

Aug. 31, 2023

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2023/09/01/bissen-said-he-wasnt-aware-deaths-lahaina-until-morning-after-devastating-blaze/


75 posted on 08/31/2023 10:30:20 PM PDT by SteveH
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To: All

Mayor details county response in early hours of fire

COLLEEN UECHI
Maui News

AUG 31, 2023

https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2023/08/mayor-details-county-response-in-early-hours-of-fire/


76 posted on 09/01/2023 2:37:21 AM PDT by SteveH
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