(NewsNation) — The controversy surrounding the decision not to activate emergency sirens during the recent wildfires in Hawaii has ignited a debate over accountability and the effectiveness of early warning systems.
In an interview on NewsNation’s “CUOMO,” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said the sirens are typically used to warn of a tsunami, which results in people fleeing to higher ground.
“I’m not saying we shouldn’t have done it, but it was just as likely people would have come out of their houses and gone up the mountain right into the fire,” Green said.
The governor’s response highlights the delicate balance between alerting the public to potential threats and avoiding causing unnecessary panic or exacerbating harm.
Mikal Watts, an attorney representing many of the affected residents, emphasized the need to use the early warning system effectively.
“The idea that you can’t sound a tsunami alarm to give people warning of a ‘fire tsunami’ coming (toward) me is absurd,” Watts said. “They go out of their house, they look around, they see the fire and they try to escape.”
“Everybody that hears an alarm is going to go outside and they’re going to turn around and they’re going to see a fire, so they’re not going to run towards it,” Watts continued.
Watts told host Chris Cuomo that it was a poor choice for officials not to use the emergency system, but he agrees with Gov. Green that sounding the alarms might not have saved a large number of lives if people didn’t know to jump in the water.
“This is the second time in six years that I’ve seen early warning system just not used by virtue of some administrative position person not properly trained to decide … not to cause a panic. Or in this instance, we only use it for tsunamis — that didn’t make any sense at all,” Watts said.
Watts stressed that the early warning system is critical for public safety and should not be limited to specific types of disasters.
Meanwhile, the community continues seeking answers and solutions while grappling with the aftermath of one of the most devastating wildfires in American history.