96 people have now died in the Maui fires, making it the deadliest in US history.
Residents say it came with little warning and that has people looking for answers.
“There wasn’t really an evacuation notice for us,” said Lahaina resident Cole Millington said to CNN. “We have tsunami warnings that I think should have been utilized… So many of us … felt like we had absolutely no warning.”
The island has 400 warning sirens, the largest in the world, but none of them were activated, Hawaii Emergency Management System Agency spokesperson Adam Weintraub has said.
Gov. Josh Green (D-HI) Sunday ordered a complete investigation into “what happened in the early hours of the fire and hours after,” according to NPR.
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“There is a lot to share. There is a lot of information that people want. We will build back together. We will find out what we could have done to prevent such loss of life to the best of our ability.” he said.
Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Hawaii’s senior US Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) says she “won’t make any excuses” for the emergency response , according to Politico.
“The Attorney General has launched a review of what happened with those sirens and some of the other actions that were taken. So that is happening. There will be time enough I would say for those kinds of reviews and investigations to occur,” she said.
Hirono stressed the immediate need is to get help to those who need it most. She called for bipartisan support for increased funds.
“President Biden called me directly to pledge his support because we know that recovery will be long and the resources will be necessary. I have also heard from my senate colleagues, Chuck Schumer and others, pledging their support,” Hirono said. “Recovery will take a lot of resources. And the focus right now is truly on the recovery.”
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