Despite tsunami warning system in place for emergencies, Maui residents say 'there was no warning' before wildfire ravaged island

• The Hawaiian island of Maui has tsunami alert systems to warn residents of emergencies.
• Locals say no alerts were issued while a fire blazed, killing at least 93 on the island.

Every first Monday of the month, residents of the Hawaiian island of Maui know to prepare for a test of their emergency alert system, with blaring sirens meant to warn of incoming tsunamis, floods, or earthquakes.

"It always scares tourists because they think, like, 'oh my gosh.' Because it is so loud and it goes for a little bit — but the people that live here know: That's our warning," Kami Irwin, a Maui resident helping to coordinate fire relief efforts at the Maui Brewing Company location in Kihei, told Insider. "You know, if it doesn't go off on that day and it goes off on a different day, there's something wrong."

This week, as wildfires ravaged the island and burned nearly an entire city to the ground, Irwin and other locals told Insider no sirens went off.

"This is where I believe the ball was dropped — in my eyes and a few other open eyes as well — because there was no warning," Matt Robb, co-owner of a Lāhainā bar called The Dirty Monkey, told Insider.

Of the 26 staff of The Dirty Monkey, Robb said 16 lost their homes and everything in them due to the wildfire. Staff with no place to stay are waiting for aid in the home of the bar's other co-owner, Alen Aivazian.

'Get the hell out now'

Small fires had broken out earlier this month, a common occurrence on the island, but when the wind kicked up on August 8 — caused by the Category 4 storm Hurricane Dora, which was surging about 500 miles away — the flames began spreading uncontrollably.

But residents of the island had no idea anything was wrong except that the power went out.

Instead of closing that night's shift at the bar, Aivazian, who was visiting family in Minnesota when the fire broke out, told Insider, "Everyone went to my house or they went home because they didn't know what was happening."

"But then, in a couple hours, while they were trying to sleep, they were woken up by policemen telling them, 'get the hell out now,'" Aivazian said. And then they were all running, he said, "they weren't even able to grab any underwear, a shirt or cash if they had any."

He added: "That's probably why so many people have died. It happened that night — and fast. And, you know, not everybody is trained properly on what to do, so they didn't know which way to run."

The death toll rose to 93 on Sunday, making the Maui fires the deadliest in American history. But officials warn that number will continue to increase, as only 3% of the areas affected by the fires have so far been searched for potential survivors and the bodies of victims.

Insider reported FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in some cases, the ground is still too hot for search-and-rescue dogs to traverse.

"It's absolutely heartbreaking to just see an entire community that is no longer there," Criswell said, describing the scene on the Hawaiian island as like "an apocalyptic movie."

Representatives for the Maui Police Department and the office of Mayor Richard Bissen did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Survivors have criticized local leadership for their response to the deadly fire, from the lack of emergency warnings to failure to communicate effectively or provide adequate aid in the immediate aftermath. Citizen groups, including those formed by staff at The Dirty Monkey and Maui Brewing Company, are stepping up to fundraise, coordinate directly with local authorities and aid groups, and form patrols for security and search and rescue efforts.

"There's some police presence. There's some small military presence, but at night people are being robbed at gunpoint," Robb told Insider. "People are raped and pillaged. I mean, they're going through houses — and then by day it's hunky dory. So where is the support? I don't think our government and our leaders, at this point, know how to handle this or what to do."