The head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency has resigned a day after deflecting criticism for not activating the island's alert sirens when devastating fires tore through the island last week.
Mayor Richard Bissen said he had accepted Herman Andaya's resignation, citing unspecified health reasons for his stepping down.
“Given the gravity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I will be placing someone in this key position as quickly as possible and I look forward to making that announcement soon,” Mr Bissen said.
Mr Andaya had previously said he had no regrets over the decision to not use the sirens. On Wednesday he said he feared airing the sirens would have caused people to go towards the mountains.
“If that was the case, then they would have gone into the fire,” Mr Andaya said.
Hawaii's outdoor alert systems were created in 1946, after a deadly tsunami struck.
“The sirens are used primarily for tsunamis. The public is trained to seek higher ground in the event that the siren is sounded,” Mr Andaya said.
But that decision faced heavy scrutiny after at least 111 people were killed in the fires.
Without the siren system, residents instead had to rely on alerts through mobile devices or television coverage. But downed power lines and mobile networks for some areas made it more challenging to be notified of the danger.
“The warning signals that were on cell phones, we had no cell coverage or electricity in some of these areas,” Jill Tokuda, US Representative from Hawaii, told CBS on Sunday.
Some residents have said they had learnt of the fire only when they saw the flames.
Hawaii's attorney general said she would set up an independent body to investigate the response to the tragic fires.
Of the confirmed fatalities, only a few have been identified so far. And more than 1,000 people are still unaccounted for, Hawaii Governor Josh green said.
President Joe Biden and his wife Jill are expected to visit Maui on Monday.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: Audi e-tron
Price, base: From Dh325,000 (estimate)
Engine: Twin electric motors and 95kWh battery pack
Transmission: Single-speed auto
Power: 408hp
Torque: 664Nm
Range: 400 kilometres
