Current:Home > MyMaui suing cellphone carriers over alerts it says people never got about deadly wildfires -消息
Maui suing cellphone carriers over alerts it says people never got about deadly wildfires
Will Sage Astor View
Date:2025-04-10 10:10:02
Honolulu — Had emergency responders known about widespread cellphone outages during the height of last summer's deadly Maui wildfires, they would've used other methods to warn about the disaster, county officials said in a lawsuit.
Alerts the county sent to cellphones warning people to immediately evacuate were never received, unbeknownst to the county, the lawsuit said.
Maui officials failed to activate sirens that would have warned the entire population of the approaching flames. That has raised questions about whether everything was done to alert the public in a state that possesses an elaborate emergency warning system for a variety of dangers including wars, volcanoes, hurricanes and wildfires.
Major cellular carriers were negligent in failing to properly inform Maui police of widespread service outages, county officials said in the lawsuit filed Wednesday in state court against Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA, Spectrum Mobile and AT&T.
"We continue to stand with the Maui community as it heals from the tragic fires, but these claims are baseless," T-Mobile said in a statement Thursday. "T-Mobile broadcasted wireless emergency alerts to customers while sites remained operational, promptly sent required outage notifications, and quickly contacted state and local emergency agencies and services."
A Spectrum representative declined to comment, and the other carriers didn't immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.
A flood of lawsuits has come out since the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century ripped through the historic town of Lahaina and killed 101 people.
Maui County is a defendant in multiple lawsuits over its emergency response during the fires. The county is also suing the Hawaiian Electric Company, saying the utility negligently failed to shut off power despite exceptionally high winds and dry conditions.
In Maui's latest legal action, lawyers for the county say if the county is found liable for damages, then the cell carriers' "conduct substantially contributed to the damages" against the county.
"On August 8 and August 9, 2023, while the County's courageous first responders battled fires across the island and worked to provide first aid and evacuate individuals to safety, the County notified those in the vicinity of danger through numerous alerts and warnings, including through direct text messaging to individual cell phones," the lawsuit said.
The county sent at least 14 alert messages to cellphones, warning residents to evacuate, the lawsuit said. The county later discovered all 21 cell towers serving West Maui, including in Lahaina, experienced total failure.
"As of the date of this filing, the Cell Carriers still have not reported to the County the true extent and reach of the cell service outages on August 8 and August 9, 2023, as they are mandated to do under federal law," the lawsuit said. "Had the Cell Carriers accurately reported to the County the complete and widespread failure of dozens of cell sites across the island as they were mandated to do by law, the County would have utilized different methods in its disaster and warning response."
- In:
- Hawaii Wildfires
- Maui
- Wildfires
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Her alcoholic father died and missed her wedding. She forgives him anyway.
- It's one of the biggest experiments in fighting global poverty. Now the results are in
- Officer and utility worker killed in hit-and-run crash; suspect also accused of stealing cruiser
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day: Historical photos show the Dec. 7, 1941 attack in Hawaii
- Gates Foundation takes on poverty in the U.S. with $100 million commitment
- New York man wins Mega Millions twice in one night, cashes tickets in one year later
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- Facebook and Instagram are steering child predators to kids, New Mexico AG alleges
Ranking
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- OnlyFans has a new content creator: tennis player Nick Kyrgios
- A woman hurled food at a Chipotle worker. A judge sentenced the attacker to work in a fast-food restaurant
- Narcissists are everywhere, but you should never tell someone they are one. Here's why.
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Yankees land superstar Juan Soto in blockbuster trade with Padres. Is 'Evil Empire' back?
- Rights groups file legal challenge with UK court, urging a halt on British arms exports to Israel
- The Daily Money: America's top 1% earners control more wealth than the entire middle class
Recommendation
Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
Senators tackle gun violence anew while Feinstein’s ban on assault weapons fades into history
Nevada grand jury indicts six Republicans who falsely certified that Trump won the state in 2020
A fibrous path 'twixt heart and brain may make you swoon
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
1000-Lb. Sisters’ Tammy Slaton Returns Home After 14-Month Stay in Weight Loss Rehab
White House delays menthol cigarette ban, alarming anti-smoking advocates
Worried about retirement funds running dry? Here are 3 moves worth making.