Communication: Rescue that takes several days to obtain - After the Hawaii wildfire disaster, the government was accused of inadequate response to rescue efforts. 6 days | Wildfire | Hawaii
Honolulu, USA, August 14 (Xinhua) - Rescue that takes several days to obtain - After the wildfire disaster in Hawaii, the government has been accused of inadequate response
Xinhua News Agency reporter
"People once said that if anything happened here, we would have to wait for several days to receive rescue. This wildfire disaster once again proves that this statement is quite accurate," said John Peltier, the director of the Maui County Police Department in Hawaii, USA.
Six days have passed, and in the resort town of La Haina on Maui Island in Maui Prefecture, which was destroyed by wildfires, the air is still filled with the smell of burnt objects, and the La Haina wildfire that caused this disaster is still not fully controlled.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green confirmed on the 14th that wildfires that have lasted for several days have caused 99 deaths. As search and rescue efforts continue, the number of deaths is likely to continue to rise.
This is the deadliest wildfire disaster in the United States in 100 years. Green said that wildfires have caused damage to over 2200 buildings in Maui County, of which about 86% are residential. The losses caused by wildfires are expected to be close to 6 billion US dollars. In La Haina, thousands of people are homeless. After the disaster, the government's inadequate response and delayed official rescue have caused secondary trauma to the affected population.
A photo released on August 10th in Maui County, Hawaii, USA shows severe damage caused by wildfires. Shen Jizhong
Peltier revealed that the police dog team searching for the bodies of the victims did not start working on Maui Island until the 5th or 13th day after the wildfire, and as of that day, only about 3% of the fire affected areas had been searched.
Dean Criswell, Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, inspected La Haina on the 13th. But local residents told the media that after government officials at all levels visited, the response measures still failed to meet the urgent needs of the disaster victims.
Kailiha's family, who live in Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, said in an interview with NBC News on the 13th that after the wildfire, the road to La Haina was blocked, making it difficult for civilian aid to reach the affected areas. Their family in La Haina lost everything in the fire, but they have been unable to obtain food since the disaster.
A photo released on August 10th in Maui County, Hawaii, USA shows severe damage caused by wildfires. Shen Jizhong
Faced with the dual blow of fire and inadequate government response, the local residents of Maui Island did not immerse themselves in sadness. Instead, they did their best to carry out mutual assistance and self rescue, and charitable organizations, private enterprises, and others cooperated to provide rescue for the disaster victims.
Barbara Tengan, a senior pastor at a local church, turned the church into a shelter, which was soon filled with donated items from the people on the island. These items were then systematically distributed to those in need. Gandhi Miranda, founder of the Hawaiian Donut Franchise Company, is an indigenous Hawaiian who suffered severe losses in the fire. However, she still supports local disaster relief efforts in La Haina by donating supplies and providing psychological counseling services to the affected.
The Washington Post reported on the 12th that efficient post disaster rescue operations were not organized by the US government, but came from local residents. A report published by The New York Times on the 13th stated that after the disaster, local volunteers formed a more reliable "lifeline" than federal and local agencies.
