On Tuesday morning August 8, Maui was hit with a power outage due to high winds from Hurricane Dora knocking out electric lines. By the afternoon, Maui was hit with devastating brush fires that started from Lahaina and spread to other parts of the island such as Kihei and Kula where many people were trying to evacuate to safety. It has been reported that the wind had quickly picked up to 145 mph which led to the burning of many homes and businesses in Lahaina town.
Throughout the rest of the day, 2000 acres of land across multiple cities in Maui kept burning, there were many road closures which left many people with no connection to family and friends and were unable to get their 911 calls through. With failed communications, it left Maui residents trapped and unable to escape. Survivors described their frantic efforts to escape their hometown that was cut off from all telecommunications and no electricity. A witness recalled encountering not only burning vehicles but burning vehicles with charred bodies inside. Over the night more than 12,000 were displaced, numerous locals have been left helpless and many have still been unaccounted for. Emergency shelters have been filling up drastically with limited resources and 67 deaths have been reported but that number is expected to rise significantly over the next few days.
Because the fire spread from brush to the first neighborhood nearby, it was spreading so rapidly that residents began self evacuating with fairly little to no notice. After nightfall, conditions had deteriorated and Maui residents were told to shelter in place unless they were in an impacted area. There were reports of residents such as one man who hid behind a seawall for hours once he smelled the smoke, another fled on foot with his brother running throughout the night into the next day where they passed vehicles that were trapped on clogged roads.
Although Hawai’i state officials say they have an outdoor siren warning system in place, Hawai’i officials say they had no record of the sirens being activated on Tuesday when the fires began in Lahaina. Officials are also investigating whether authorities were too quick to lower the sense of alarm after the flames first broke out, despite warnings from the National Weather Service of severe fire weather.
Lahaina is a small town that is extremely vulnerable because of the few exit routes. By few exit routes, that means that there are only two routes out of town along the coast. While the investigation of the fires is still underway, it has been reported that Lahaina’s geographical orientation puts itself at risk. With the high pressure to the northeast and low pressure from Hurricane Dora far to the southwest, Lahaina sits in a dangerous location for possible disastrous events such as this. It has also been reported that this disaster comes amid years of evidence about the increased threat of wildfires to Hawai’i. This means possible warnings and evidence of potential threat to the community were not only received but some scientists and county documents have also been filed years before but were paid little attention to.
The more aggravating piece of information is that Maui County’s 1,044 page hazard mitigation plan lists coastal West Maui as having high wildfire risks. A map on page 503 shows Lahaina’s buildings as being in a high risk area for wildfire and warns that populations with limited access to information may not receive time critical warning information to enable them to reach areas of safety if warned too late. If the fires started off small but officials were quick to shut down the possible risk of a wildfire increase regardless if they knew of Maui County’s hazard mitigation plan, maybe more residents could have been evacuated on time if they ordered a call to leave their homes and get to safety no matter how big or small the disaster. Despite knowing or not knowing this information, leaders still expressed shock. At the same time, it is still shocking because we all want to believe that something as devastating and heartbreaking like this could never happen or think will never be faced but I believe that action should be taken whether it’s big or small. No one should have to be faced with a near death experience if given the call right away before a disaster gets worse.
Countless videos have been shared across social media platforms such as Instagram showcasing powerful winds, fire brushes spreading, and people being forced to jump into the water to try and get out of harm's way. One local has reported that he as well as other locals have been tirelessly removing bodies from the water and are asking for any and all help that they can get.
Because so many families have lost so much including their homes, they have been placed in hotels for the meantime. Many people have been so supported from Los Angeles, California by collecting and donating all kinds of goods for these families and have done a much better job at helping out than Hawai’i’s own government and mayor has done.
The people of Hawai’i have also shared much information on what went wrong and how they have managed to keep going despite the treatment and help they are not and are continuing to not get.
It has been said that Maui will be opening up to tourists and travelers again which means families may be forced to vacate to other sites.
It’s a shame that Hawai’i’s government cares more about profit and money being brought in from outside haoles than trying to help families rebuild what they lost.
My advice to any who plans to travel, please be kind, kōkua (help), and a’o (learn) some Hawaiian history and support Hawai’i and its people. Hawai’i isn’t just about good food, best waves, Hawaiian entertainment and beautiful weather. It’s a place where native Hawaiians continue to practice their culture, heritage and traditions. Without these things Hawai’i will seize to exist which is pretty much the direction it is heading.
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