The return of tourists to Maui is welcome for an island who relied on them for 70 per cent of every dollar it generated. But in their absence,local people rediscovered their home for themselves.
A day earlier,Herman Andaya defended the decision not to sound sirens as the flames raged.
While the search effort in Lahaina continues,life ticks on in most other parts of Maui,forcing residents to make sense of loss and death alongside life and tourism.
A massive community effort is under way as search and rescue missions on Maui continue.
On the ground many families are already confronting a painful reality:their loved ones did not make it out alive.
Michael Wara,a wildfire expert,said there is “no question” that the utility should have cut power to reduce wildfire risk with the forecast of gusty winds.
The scale of the damage came into sharper focus as search teams with cadaver dogs sifted through the ruins of the historic resort town of Lahaina.
Residents who survived the fire have wondered aloud why no one activated the sirens,which emit noises at a higher decibel level than a loud rock concert.
In the hours before a wildfire engulfed Lahaina,Maui County officials failed to activate sirens that would have warned the entire population of the approaching flames.
Residents of the historic town of Lahaina were getting their first opportunity to re-enter their ravaged suburbs,but there are concerns more fires could break out.
Footage from Lahaina shows residents’ desperate escapes and war-like devastation. But records show no indication that sirens were triggered.