The wildfires that broke out last week on Maui have left thousands displaced, hundreds missing, and at least 106 dead, raising several questions about preparedness and emergency alert systems.
As reported in The Dallas Express, the fires that ripped through Maui County and Lahaina on Maui’s western coast broke out due to dry conditions and strong winds fueled by nearby Hurricane Dora.
Heavy gusts also knocked down power lines. Hawaiian Electric’s aged infrastructure and apparent failure to cut power preemptively are already coming under fire in a series of legal complaints recently filed by Lahaina residents, according to The New York Times.
Mass evacuations of tens of thousands were carried out in complete chaos as the flames spread rapidly, even forcing some to jump into the Pacific Ocean.
Residents report there were no sirens or evacuation orders from the authorities ahead of the deadly blaze.
“Nobody saw this coming,” explained Mark Stefl, a tile setter, who sprang to action when his wife noticed flames 500 yards from their home, according to the NYT. In his words, the fire was like “a freight train coming down the mountain.”
Escaping the flames was yet another problem, as the apparent mismanagement of traffic created deadly gridlocks.
When Chelsea Denton Fuqua, 32, and her husband decided to get into their cars and leave town, police ushered them toward Front Street and into a traffic jam.
Abandoning their cars, they eventually found themselves pushed into the ocean by clouds of smoke and a wall of fire.
“We were with a bunch of people praying — kids were crying,” Fuqua recounted to the NYT. “People were letting their pets go because they couldn’t carry them and cover their mouths.”
Two fires continue to rage — the one in Lahaina 85% contained and the one in Upcountry 75% contained — but early estimates of the damage from Moody’s Analytics suggest as much as $7 billion.
Several initiatives have been launched to raise funds to benefit the victims of the Maui wildfires, including the Touring Chocolatier in Northlake. Owner Kay Thibodeaux said she will host a series of classes inspired by Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate — a farm close to her heart that suffered immense damage in the fire.
“We’re going to charge a minimal amount, $35 per person and we can hold 10 people in the class at a time,” Thibodeaux said, according to CBS News Texas. “Then, for every one of those classes, we’ll donate 100%. That’s all I can do.”
Rescue efforts in Maui have been underway, but the work has been painstakingly slow due to the rough terrain.
Crews had covered about 32% of the search area as of Tuesday, with cadaver dogs on the scene checking the charred ruins.
“I don’t think anybody is prepared to have this type of situation,” explained Maui Police Chief John Pelletier, according to NBC 5 DFW. “And let’s realize this. When folks are shifting through burn debris, and dust is on you, it’s not just dust on you. It’s our dead. And I don’t think anybody really is used to that when they go home and they take off the uniform. And it’s really somber to think about that.”
Lahaina — a centuries-old hotspot among tourists — has been almost completely destroyed.
The state attorney general’s office will be conducting a review of the emergency response to the Maui wildfires, as covered in The Dallas Express.
Shelee Kimura, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric, has said that the company will be conducting its own review as well, according to NBC 5.
