The death toll in Hawaii from the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century ticked toward 100 Sunday, fueling criticism that government inaction contributed to the heavy loss of life.
Tokuda, a Democrat whose district includes Maui said,"Everybody who has ever lived in Hawaii knows the warning sirens. It goes off once a month, every month, at 12 noon and it blares. And if it doesn't, it gets fixed because that is our first line of defense."
That was making identification difficult, he said, appealing for those with missing relatives to give DNA samples that might speed up the process. In its emergency management plan last year, the State of Hawaii described the risk wildfires posed as"low." No emergency sirens sounded and many Lahaina residents spoke of learning about the blaze from neighbors running down the street or seeing it for themselves.
Pastor Arza Brown led the service in his sandals, the only shoes that survived the blaze that destroyed his house."That's one thing about getting together today -- just to be with each other and encourage each other," he said.
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