- Anger Mounts Over Official Response to Deadly Hawaiian Wildfire
- Tragedy’s Impact: Devastation and Residents’ Claims of No Warning
- Investigations, Fatalities Rise, and Amidst Challenges, Frustrations Grow
The official response to an inferno that destroyed a Hawaiian town, killing at least 93 people and making it the deadliest wildfire in the United States in over a century, sparked mounting anger on Saturday.
According to official estimates, more than 2,200 structures were damaged or destroyed as the fire tore through Lahaina, causing $5.5 billion in damages and rendering thousands destitute.
Hawaiian authorities are investigating fire management after homeowners complained they had no notice.
“No one warned us when the mountain behind us caught fire,” Vilma Reed told AFP.
“Do you know when we discovered the fire?” When it was directly across the street.”
Reed, whose home was devastated by the fire, stated that she relied on alms and the generosity of strangers.
“This is my home now,” the 63-year-old woman said, indicating the vehicle in which she had been sleeping with her daughter, grandson, and two cats.
Lahaina, a city of over 12,000 people and former residence of the Hawaiian royal family has been reduced to ruins, its once-vibrant hotels and restaurants reduced to charcoal.
A 150-year-old banyan tree that has stood at the center of the community has been scarred by the flames but still stands erect, its branches stripped and trunk transformed into an awkward skeleton by soot.
Most lethal in a century
Saturday night, the County of Maui reported 93 confirmed fatalities, up from 89.
Governor Josh Green had warned that the official fatality toll would almost certainly increase.
“It will continue to increase. We want to prepare individuals for this,” he said.
According to the non-profit research organization National Fire Protection Association, the fire is now the deadliest in the United States since 1918, when 453 people perished in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The death toll topped that of the 2018 California Camp Fire, which killed 86 and destroyed Paradise.
Chief of Police of Maui, John Pelletier, stated that only a small portion of the catastrophe zone has been combed, and only two victims have been identified due to the severity of their burns.
“The metal-melted remains we’ve discovered are the result of a fire,” he explained. “We must perform swift DNA testing to identify each of these.
When we collect the remains, they disintegrate.
Saturday night, firefighters battled at least one additional conflagration in Maui’s mountainous Upcountry.
Saturday night, the Pulehu/Kihei fire in the south was declared fully contained.
“Underestimated the virulence”
Jill Tokuda, a congresswoman from Hawaii, told CNN that the tragedy had taken officials by surprise.
“We underestimated the lethality and velocity of the fire,” she explained.
Governor Green justified the quick response by citing many fires and severe winds.
“After witnessing that storm, we doubt that much could have been accomplished with such a ferocious, fast-moving fire,” he said.
This week, Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez stated that her office would examine “crucial decision-making and standing policies before, during, and after the wildfires on the islands of Maui and Hawaii.”
During the crisis, numerous power outages on Maui prevented many residents from receiving emergency alerts on their mobile phones, a situation for which Tokuda believes officials should have been prepared.
There were no emergency sirens sounded, and many Lahaina residents learned about the fire from neighbors fleeing down the street.
“We must ensure that we perform better,” Tokuda remarked.
The state of Hawaii’s disaster management plan from last year called wildfire danger “low”.
Maui’s fires follow other extreme weather events in North America this summer, including record-breaking wildfires in Canada and a significant heat wave in the southwestern United States.
Europe and sections of Asia have also experienced soaring temperatures, along with devastating fires and floods. According to scientists, global warming caused by humans makes natural disasters more likely and lethal.
“Work it out”
Saturday’s prohibition on their return to their homes compounded the misery of many who had escaped the flames.
Maui police said the public couldn’t access Lahaina, even with residence documentation.
“If your home or former home is in the affected area, you will not be allowed to [enter] until the area has been declared safe,” stated a press release.
“Entry into the disaster zone is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine,” the sentence reads.
Some residents waited hours at a checkpoint to search the ashes for lost pets or family members.
The path was then abruptly obstructed, as reported by NBC News.
“How are individuals to get there? The highways are closed, lamented Daniel Rice of Lahaina.
“Show some authority in public. Try to figure it out. “This is nonsensical.”
