Target: Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Goal: Advocate for a strong national system of emergency sirens, as well as comprehensive environmental assessments, for disasters.
A historic downtown was incinerated in Maui, Hawaii. It may take years before the true toll of the ravenous wildfires that have killed dozens (with many, many more still missing) and decimated over 2,700 structures is fully known. With fire weather and other dangerous effects of a changing climate on a relentless rise, such dangers will only continue.
The emergency response assessment now taking place will likely include the seeming failure of the region’s outdoor emergency sirens to activate. Hawaii is supposed to boast a world-class, top-tier warning system that includes over 400 sirens. Maui is home to 80 of these sirens. Yet none of them reportedly went off in the crucial period before or during the fires. Officials allegedly relied instead on emergency alerts sent over radio, television, and mobile lines…most of which also apparently did not reach residents because of power outages.
Terrified individuals and families were seemingly left to evacuate and flee with no time to spare, some even escaping into the ocean. If the siren system had been activated and fully functional, lives likely could have been saved. This tragedy should serve as a strong wake-up call to leaders not only in Hawaii but across the nation.
Compounding the crisis are the massive amount of toxins left by the wildfires, which may make communities uninhabitable indefinitely. The resources deployed in response to this disaster should incorporate a stringent environmental assessment to determine lingering dangers. Only then can security and quality of life be truly restored.
Sign the petition below to demand more investment in educating the public about and deploying critical emergency sirens and environmental cleanup efforts in the wake of disasters.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Mayorkas,
The devastating wildfires in Hawaii are a stark reminder that current means of emergency alerts (such as text and television warnings) are often dangerously inadequate during a catastrophic, communication-disrupting event. In an even more harrowing commentary on lacking emergency responses, Hawaii’s world-leading outdoor siren system was allegedly not even activated. This system that deploys faithfully every month (and even during a few false alarms) was absent during the hour of the state’s greatest need.
An investigation will determine the potential failures of regional and state leadership, but please let this tragedy be a lesson to the entire nation. As the effects of the climate crisis mount, emergency situations such as this disaster will multiply exponentially. The United Sates needs to be prepared with a robust, national network of emergency sirens and, perhaps more importantly, a fully educated public that knows what crucial actions to take when the alarms sound.
Moreover, the communities most challenged by this tragedy–including nearby regions–will contend with hidden toxins possibly for years to come. The still-impactful health effects on individuals who aided in the rescue efforts post-9/11 should reinforce that public health environmental stressors from disasters should be a matter of urgent national security, with decisive plans of action for assessment and cleanup incorporated into any emergency response strategy.
Please commit to making these life-saving efforts a reality.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: U.S. Civil Air Patrol
This fire is a warning sound for all America. With the horrors of climate change we, at least, need some form of warning system.; Fire, as was seen here, is so fast moving with such intense winds that it overcomes all in its path. All areas need to have a warning system to alert people in cases if fire, floods, and other possible harms.
We need to learn from this horrible circumstance so no there community suffers the same fate. All life is precious, human, animal, wildlife, and ocean life too.