Letter: Testing of sirens should have gone on

Let me get this straight: So as not to “cause distress,” the director and administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency canceled the monthly test of the emergency siren warning system, thereby putting at risk the physical safety of Hawaii’s people in the midst of hurricane season (“HI-EMA cancels September siren test to avoid conflict with Maui memorial,” Star-Advertiser, Top News, Aug. 28)?

Whose feelings were they trying to protect, and what feelings were they trying to protect them from? Maui County emergency officials, from shame at having failed to sound the sirens in Lahaina on Aug. 8? Lahaina survivors, from the poignant irony of hearing how effective those sirens might have been? All of Hawaii, from a sense of comfort that the system might work next time?

Have they so little faith in our people that they cannot trust us to tolerate a blast of noise a full 15 minutes before a prayerful moment of silence for Lahaina? Prayers are leaving lips on Maui every second of the day and night. There will never be a convenient time to run the test, but lives could well depend upon their doing so.

Physical survival is a prerequisite to feeling anything, good or bad. Please. Adjust your priorities.

Ring them bells!

Jean Christensen

Wailuku

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