Editorial: Maui leaders must provide answers

Yes, there is a mountain of work occupying Maui officials now, as they toil to help Lahaina and other spots recover from the worst U.S. wildfire in modern times. But that doesn’t lessen the imperative for Maui’s mayor, along with state and county emergency leaders, to provide a candid accounting of where they were when the Aug. 8 afternoon wildfire quickly blazed out of control to level Lahaina, killing at least 115 people and destroying more than 2,200 homes and buildings.

Instead of clarity and answers, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen in a Tuesday news conference repeatedly refused, or was unable, to answer pertinent basic questions about the emergency chain of command on that tragic day.

“I’m not sure who was in charge,” Bissen responded to a reporter’s question about the Maui Emergency Management Agency’s command on Aug. 8. MEMA’s chief at the time, Herman Andaya, was in Waikiki for a conference, but it remains unclear who was in charge on Maui as Lahaina burned. (Andaya resigned on Aug. 17, a day after saying he didn’t regret not sounding sirens as the wildfire approached Lahaina.)

Bissen expressed uncertainty, saying “I think” Andaya was in contact with his team, before acknowledging, “I don’t know what the chain of command was.”

Three weeks after the Lahaina inferno, it is unacceptable that the mayor would say “I don’t know” or variations of that at least 10 times on Tuesday. Those non-answers only further compromise credibility of actions that day by emergency leaders, and fuel frustrations of residents and others seeking answers — and accountability. Clarity over those crucial afternoon hours on Aug. 8 must come soon — if not from Bissen, then from Gov. Josh Green — so that confidence in government doesn’t erode further, and lapses can be swiftly fixed. This is a national tragedy that deserves answers.

In a “CBS News” Thursday morning report based on the news conference, reporter Jonathan Vigliotti asked Bissen why he had not placed a single call, during and hours after the Lahaina fire, to the state to ask for emergency backup.

“I can’t speak to what — or whose responsibility it was to communicate directly,” Bissen responded. “I can’t say who was responsible for communicating with General Hara.”

Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA), had said in a recent Hawaii News Now interview that he was initially unaware of crucial details about the fire: “It wasn’t until probably the next day I started hearing about fatalities.”

In a live TV address Thursday night, Bissen said he also wasn’t aware of fatalities until the next day, Aug. 9.

Hara, when asked on Tuesday if HI-EMA could have done more in the critical Aug. 8 afternoon hours that would’ve helped, said: “Personally, I don’t think so.”

He added: “That fire was so rapid, and by the time everyone had situational awareness, it was too late, unfortunately.”

It’s important to note, however, that in a 4:04 p.m. Aug. 8 emergency declaration for the wildfires on Maui and Hawaii island, acting Gov. Sylvia Luke said: “This emergency proclamation will activate the Hawaii National Guard to support emergency responders in the impacted communities.”

Then at 5:50 p.m., a Maui County news release stated in part: “Multiple structures have burned and multiple evacuations are in place, as firefighter crews continue battling brush and structure fires in Upcountry and Lahaina areas. The Maui County Emergency Operating Center is fully activated and in coordination with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency for state and federal resources.”

And about 6 p.m., according to a later New York Times story recounting eyewitness reports, a Coast Guard cutter had approached the Lahaina breakwater, where people had jumped into the sea; the crew began casting rope lines through the smoke, where some people grabbed on and were saved.

So where was the extra, coordinated emergency response? The timeline of events needs fuller disclosure of where top government emergency officials — entrusted with the public’s safety in times of disaster — were, and how they did or didn’t respond.

To this end, it’s ever more critical for investigations into the Lahaina wildfire to be completed with all due speed and diligence. Public pressure is intensifying, in particular, for reports sooner rather than later from the Hawaii Attorney General’s Office and from the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives.

The intent here is to call for transparency and accountability. The public deserves to know if those in charge fulfilled their duties. Short of that, rumors and speculation will only fuel the flames of suspicion that risk engulfing not just Bissen and top officials — but also fan distrust of the important relief and recovery efforts now underway.