The now infamous Lahaina Fire in Maui, HI, has left at least 100 people dead and hundreds, if not a thousand more, missing and feared dead. Countless animals are dead, and hundreds more are missing. All of this happened with little to no real warning.
At 3:20 p.m. local, the Maui fire rescue sent out an ALCON message to cellphones in the area. The fire had sparked that morning, but the officials claimed it was contained. Now they had to correct themselves and admit that erratic winds, tougher than expected terrain, and embers that soared untouched and torched nearby times incredibly fast. Even when a mile away, a shift in the wind and it was at your doorstep in under two minutes.
Residents tore across to the main highway- the only road in and out of Lahaina, and quickly found themselves blocked off by local officials and forced onto Front Street. Even as people moved trees that had fallen on the road off and grabbed those that had fallen. When the flames started to overtake the roads, cars pulled to the side, and residents climbed on the rocks and got into the water as needed.
For many, they were forced to decide between nearly drowning in the massive waves that the storm had brought and the wind-enhanced fire that was torching everything in its way. Those who had pets or kids we forced to make incredibly tough decisions, with many animals being left behind.
Massive failures at all levels meant the US Coast Guard USCG or other military responders didn’t receive any evacuation requests until people in the water near Lahaina around 5:45 p.m. sent search and rescue requests to the USCG. With people using cellphones to try and guide them through the smoke and salt spray, the boats had a hard time getting through, and ultimately as the fire moved, firetrucks were able to get through to people and drive them through the flames.
As bodies lay in the streets, on the shores, and in charred homes, people are trying to come back and sift through the ashes, but many are being prevented. Given the high number of Native Hawaiians who were impacted by this blaze, many are wondering how intentional the lack of preparation, response, and compassion was. Given that President Biden has remained silent on the topic, their fears are well founded.
Shore to shore, the island of Maui has a significant amount of nature preserves and celebrities who call the island home. Much of the preserves and especially the celebrity properties were unimpacted by the wildfires in a stroke of odd “luck” that many are suspicious of.
Over the years, many groups and companies have tried taking their lands under the guise of immanent domain, seemingly overinflated offers, and other manners. They want to get ports and factories going in the area to help produce for the islands. Yet that’s not an option as these tribes refuse to move.
Despite the apparent objections of Biden’s fellow leftists who continuously trample on natives across the land in favor of “progress,” nobody has been willing to make them move. So by keeping the power activated, they knew the hurricane was coming and that the island had been through a drought. This decision was incredibly ignorant, and yet something that Biden has chosen to show support for by remaining silent since the fires raged.
As survivors start to get their message out, this is already the deadliest wildfire in the US in over 100 years. Given the cost of rebuilding and insurance regulations, many wonder if they will rebuild or if they will even be able to. Listening to these survivors, it’s heartbreaking to hear how Biden and others failed them.
