The firefighting work is still ongoing! Local residents: "The government can't even count on it." The Maui Island fire in Hawaii has caused 96 deaths. Alarm | Number | Firefighting
The wildfire on Maui Island, Hawaii, has become the deadliest wildfire in the United States in a century. The latest report shows that the Maui Police Department has confirmed a death toll of 96 people and is expected to continue to rise.
According to the latest data released by Maui County, Hawaii, as of the evening of August 13th local time, the number of deaths caused by the Maui Island fire has risen to 96. According to the National Fire Protection Association of the United States, this number has exceeded the death toll caused by the 2018 Camp Fire in California. In addition, hundreds or even thousands of people are missing.
On the 13th local time, firefighters were still extinguishing open flames in the canyon area near the town of Kura, east of La Haina.
The public claimed that they did not receive any alerts until the evacuation
With the progress of rescue work, the causes of the fire and the problems faced in the rescue response process have been questioned. Some American media have questioned that although the fire appeared to be a natural disaster on the surface, there were also man-made disasters behind it. Many people say that they did not receive any warnings until the fire approached their homes and they had to evacuate.
Vilma Reed, a resident of Maui Island: Now this is all I have.
Reed is a resident of La Haina, the town most severely affected on Maui Island, and the entire town was almost destroyed by a fire. Reed said that she and her family did not escape from their home until the last moment of the approaching fire and did not receive any warning before.
Maui resident Vilma Reed: I've been keeping an eye on the news on my phone. The news says the fire is still hundreds of miles south of us, and there's nothing to worry about.
Mauri resident Camilla Kawakoa: Almost everyone is saying that we have not received any alerts or evacuation notices. Many people were unprepared, and by the time they realized they had to evacuate, it was already too late. Many people are trapped, very pitiful.
According to CNN, Hawaii claims to have the world's largest comprehensive outdoor alarm system with approximately 400 alarms, but the Hawaii Emergency Management Department stated that the system did not activate during the fire.
According to the Associated Press, before the fire engulfed the town of La Haina, officials in Maui County failed to sound the alarm to warn all residents and relied on a series of vague social media posts to update on the progress of the fire. The interruption of electricity and mobile phone signals for residents has hindered communication, resulting in the inability to see this information. Some survivors said that when the fire began to engulf the town, there were also few radio reports. Subsequently, the roadblock forced the evacuated driver to drive onto a narrow street in the city center, which was soon surrounded by flames from all directions.
Maui resident Tad Kaiser: I believe 100% that the county government, police, and fire department have blood on their hands, and those trapped in La Haina should have been notified.
Hawaii Governor Green stated that a comprehensive investigation will be conducted, but he is still emphasizing the influence of objective factors.
Hawaii Governor Green: Over time, we will figure out if the government could have done better, which is why we are reviewing all the work. We hope to conduct this work in a very open and transparent manner, but multiple fires have occurred simultaneously on the island, making the situation very complex.
The Washington Post reported that the official rescue and relief efforts for this disaster were also very lagging behind. Early relief efforts were almost entirely organized by local residents, and there was no trace of the National Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, state and local governments. The report stated that in the face of major disasters, indigenous communities are more accustomed to self-reliance and mutual assistance, and "the government simply cannot count on it.".
According to CNN on the 13th, there are serious deficiencies in Hawaii's official risk assessment of natural disasters. In 2022, the state released a report called the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, which analyzed natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic activity. But when it comes to the threat of fire to the safety of residents, the rating is prominently rated as "low".
In addition, a report on fire prevention released by Maoyi County in 2021 pointed out that although the area of local fires has been increasing year by year and the threat has surged, there is insufficient funding for preventing and mitigating fire threats, and the local fire department has not developed detailed plans to prevent fires. The report refers to the above-mentioned issues as "significant omissions".
Hawaii Congressman Gil Detain: For Hawaii, the power of hurricanes and the emergency situations they bring, such as fires, are not unfamiliar. When Hurricane Ryan hit in 2018, we all experienced these things, but we did not learn from them. We underestimated the severity and speed of the fire.
Faced with various issues, Hawaii Attorney General Lopez has announced a "comprehensive investigation" into the government's disaster response work, including the work of the early warning system.
Heavy casualties, inadequate response, and lack of management... The Hawaiian prosecutor's office will conduct a review
Local people believe that the government's response is inadequate, stating that the government has neither sounded alarms to remind people to take precautions, nor cut off electricity in a timely manner to prevent electric wires from being blown down by strong winds from causing or exacerbating fires. The state prosecutor's office has announced a review of the disaster response.
Non first warning system error
According to the latest report released by the Maui County government in Hawaii on the evening of the 13th, wildfires that have lasted for several days have caused 96 deaths on Maui Island in the state.
Maoi County includes islands such as Maoi Island and Lanai Island. Maui Island is the second largest island in the Hawaiian Islands, with a population of over 100000. According to the Hawaii Emergency Management Department, the wildfire began on the 8th and quickly spread due to strong winds brought by the hurricane and environmental drought. There have been multiple wildfires erupting on Maui Island and Bigeyland Island, the largest island in Hawaii.
The report states that the wildfire codenamed "Plehu" was fully controlled on the 12th, and firefighters are still trying to control the wildfires codenamed "La Haina" and "Maoi Inland". The town of Lahaina, with a population of 12000, was almost burned down, and over 2200 houses were destroyed by fires.
A photo released on August 10th in Maui County, Hawaii, USA shows severe damage caused by wildfires. Shen Jizhong
Hawaii claims to have the world's largest outdoor connected public safety warning system, deploying approximately 400 alarms to alert the public to threats such as natural disasters. Among them, Maoi Island has 80 alarms.
When a wildfire occurs, the alarm goes silent. Resident Werma Reed said, "The big mountain behind us caught fire, but no one told us... Do you know when we realized it was a wildfire? When the fire spread across our street."
"There were no alarms, no evacuation notices, so many people were not prepared, and when they found out that it was time to evacuate, it was almost too late," said resident Camilla Cavacoa.
Embarrassingly, the aforementioned warning system has made two mistakes in recent years. In 2018, a text message alert system mistakenly issued a message reminding people across the state to seek cover to avoid an upcoming ballistic missile, but in reality, a staff error caused an "error". In 2019, an outdoor training triggered an alarm system, causing some residents to panic.
Hawaii has launched a review on disaster response. State Attorney General Anne Lopez said her office will review "key decisions and long-term policies of Maui and the entire Hawaiian Islands before, during, and after the wildfire.".
Uninterrupted power poles suspected of "arson"
According to The Washington Post, wildfires have engulfed parts of Maui Island. A few days ago, weather forecasts warned the government that strong winds could trigger dangerous fires in multiple areas. However, Hawaiian Electric Company did not adopt the "power outage" as a highly effective fire prevention measure in many states after the severe wildfires of 2017 and 2018.
Maui County Magistrate Richard Bison admitted that strong winds knocked down about 30 utility poles, some of which were still electrified when they fell to the ground. A substation under the Hawaiian Electric Company experienced a pole collapse on the 8th, and the incident occurred near the initial fire point.
According to American media reports, sparks generated by falling utility poles or other power grid failures have caused fires or exacerbated the situation multiple times in the United States, leading to serious consequences.
Michael Walla, the project leader for climate and energy policy at Stanford University, said that there was no lightning before the wildfire in Hawaii. He speculated that the true source of the fire was the electrical wires.
According to local media reports, three legal companies have filed a class action lawsuit against Hawaiian Electric Company on behalf of the victims, accusing the company of not cutting off power before strong winds hit and suspecting that a blown down utility pole caused a fire.
A photo released on August 10th in Maui County, Hawaii, USA shows severe damage caused by wildfires. Shen Jizhong
In addition, the Hawaiian power grid has been complained about for many years. Many wooden power poles are very old and surrounded by lush vegetation. Local residents and energy experts have been calling on electrical companies to strengthen the power grid and bury more wires underground.
Jennifer Potter, who used to work for the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, said that the poor condition of Hawaii's utility poles has been going on for many years.
In addition, some indigenous Hawaiians said in media interviews that the improper development of Maui Island by colonizers led to the destruction of the island's original ecology, which is the underlying cause of the deadliest wildfire disaster in the United States in a century.
Currently, the official investigation into the cause of the fire in the United States has not been released.
comprehensive
