An interim director has been hired to head Maui Emergency Management Agency following devastating wildfires and the resignation of the agency's top official, Maui County said Friday.
Darryl Oliveira, the former administrator of the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency, will serve as interim administrator for Maui Emergency Management Agency, which is still dealing with the aftermath of wildfires this month that have killed at least 115 people.
Thousands of buildings have been destroyed or damaged, including in the West Maui town of Lahaina, in the fires that broke out on Aug. 8.
Friday’s hiring comes a little more than a week after Herman Andaya, the former head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, resigned citing health reasons.
Andaya quit his post after questions were raised about the decision not to sound emergency sirens due to the wildfire, which he defended, as well as about his qualifications and experience.
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a statement Friday that Oliveira oversaw the preparedness and response to the 2014 Pahoa lava flow on the Big Island, among other emergencies like tropical storms. Oliveira is also a former chief of the Hawaii Fire Department.
"His locally-led response amid storms, fires, flooding and lava events, along with his pulse on the Neighbor Island community, demonstrate invaluable experience and skill during challenging times," Bissen said in the statement.
So far 115 deaths have been confirmed in the wake of the fires on Maui. The fires were fueled by high winds from Hurricane Dora as it passed far south of the island, officials have said.
The Lahaina fire was 90% contained Friday, the county government said. It has burned an estimated 2,170 acres.
A list of 388 individuals reported unaccounted for in the wake of the fires was released Thursday. Authorities are asking people who are on it and are safe, or who know that someone on the list is safe, to contact the FBI at (808) 566-4300 or HN-COMMAND-POST@ic.fbi.gov.
