Hawaii’s dystopian reality: Apocalyptic images reveal full horror of ‘1,000 degree’ deadly ‘fire hurricane’ that annihilated historic city and killed at least 96 amid warnings death toll could surge by hundreds
- Swathes of Lahaina are yet to be searched for victims of last week’s wildfire
- Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for as anger grows over the fact that Hawaii’s early warning system failed to sound and warn residents of flames
Shocking apocalyptic aerial images have revealed the full horror inflicted by the deadly Maui ‘fire hurricane’ that annihilated the historic town and killed at least 96, with Hawaii’s governor warning that the figure could rise ‘significantly’.
The inferno – fuelled by strong winds – rapidly destroyed much of the historic resort town of Lahaina on Tuesday and Wednesday, with residents forced to flee on foot after seemingly receiving no alert from the state’s emergency warning systems.
Over the weekend, crews of firefighters were still battling flare-ups, and cadaver dogs were sifting through the town’s charred ruins in search of victims.
Relatives of the missing frantically searched for signs their loved ones may still be alive, while survivors grappled with the scale of the disaster and sought solace at Sunday church services.
Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for, and large swathes of Lahaina are yet to be searched. John Pelletier, the Maui police chief, said only three percent of the town – home to more than 9,000 people – had been searched so far.
Shocking apocalyptic aerial images (pictured) have revealed the full horror inflicted by the deadly Maui ‘fire hurricane’ that annihilated the historic town and killed at least 96, with Hawaii’s governor warning that the figure could rise ‘significantly’
Flattened homes are seen along the seafront in Lahaina after the blaze swept through. The death toll
The inferno – fuelled by strong winds – rapidly destroyed much of the historic resort town of Lahaina (pictured) on Tuesday and Wednesday, with residents forced to flee on foot after seemingly receiving no alert from the state’s emergency warning systems
Over the weekend, crews of firefighters were still battling flare-ups in the region, and cadaver dogs were sifting through the town’s charred ruins in search of victims
Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for, and large swathes of Lahaina are yet to be searched. John Pelletier, the Maui police chief, said only three percent of the town – home to more than 9,000 people – had been searched so far
Pictured: An aerial view of the destruction of Lahania town
Burned houses and buildings are pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire, is seen in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 12
A firefighting helicopter helps fight flare-up fires in Kula, Maui island, Hawaii, U.S., August 13
‘It’s an impossible day,’ Governor Josh Green said on Saturday. The fire will ‘certainly be the worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced’, he said.
‘We can only wait and support those who are living.
‘Our focus now is to reunite people when we can and get them housing and get them health care, and then turn to rebuilding.’
In a video update released earlier on Sunday, Green said more than 2,700 structures were destroyed in Lahaina and ‘an estimated value of $5.6 billion has gone away.’
The death toll made the blaze Hawaii’s worst natural disaster, surpassing a tsunami that killed 61 people in 1960, a year after Hawaii became a U.S. state.
It was also the largest number of deaths from a U.S. wildfire since 1918, when 453 people died in the Cloquet fire in Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to data from the National Fire Protection Association.
As of Sunday night, the Upcounty/Kula fire was 60 percent contained, while the Lahaina fire was at 85 percent containment, officials confirmed.
As the true scale of the disaster continues to sink in, anger is growing over the fact that the island’s early warning systems failed to trigger as the blaze spread.
READ MORE: Biden is slammed for REFUSING to comment on rising death toll in Hawaii after spending two hours on the beach in Delaware
Hawaii boasts what the state describes as the largest integrated outdoor all-hazard public safety warning system in the world, with about 400 sirens positioned across the island chain to alert residents of developing situations.
But Hawaii emergency management records show no indication that the warning sirens were triggered before a devastating wildfire killed at least 53 people and wiped out a historic town, officials confirmed Thursday.
Many of Lahaina’s survivors said they didn’t hear any sirens and only realized they were in danger when they saw flames or heard explosions nearby.
Residents were forced to escape the inferno on foot, with some saying it took as little as five minutes before they were in a position where they had no choice but to flee.
Hawaii’s attorney general has said he is conduction a ‘comprehensive review’ into how the authorities responded to the inferno.
Speaking to the BBC, Representative Jill Tokuda of Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district said ‘serious questions’ needed to be addressed over the lack of alerts.
‘There’s every justification for everyone to feel angry in this particular situation, and we all want answers,’ she said. The congresswoman visited Lahaina over the weekend, describing the scenes she witnessed as ‘heartbreaking’.
‘We have so many memories there, so many of our families and friends lost everything, [or are] still looking for loved ones.’
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) said there should no excuses for the sirens not sounding on the island.
‘I’m not going to make any excuses for this tragedy, but the attorney general has launched a review of what happened with those sirens and some of the other actions that were taken,’ Hirono told CNN on Sunday.
A satellite image shows downtown Lahaina and the historic 60-foot-tall banyan tree marking the spot where a 19th-century palace stood, as Maui island deals with the aftermath of multiple wildfires, Hawaii, August 12
A Mercy Worldwide volunteer makes damage assessment of charred apartment complex in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 12
Destroyed property is seen in charred ruins, Sunday, August 13, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii, following the deadly wildfire
Many of the survivors took to Sunday church services, including Akanesi Vaa, 38, who said her family got stuck in traffic while trying to escape the flames.
Vaa, her husband and her children aged 15, 13 and 9 resorted to fleeing on foot and jumping a fence to safety.
Along the way, an elderly woman pleading for help handed her a baby to care for. The woman and her husband were also able to make it over the fence.
‘I think a lot of us needed to hear today’s message,’ Vaa said after attending church at King’s Cathedral in Kahului. ‘All these ashes are going to turn into beauty. I know Lahaina will come back 10 times stronger.’
Scott Landis, pastor at Keawal’i Church, a United Church of Christ congregation in Makena, said an unusually large crowd of 100 showed, nearly double what he would have expected on a typical Sunday in August.
‘They were really listening. You could tell people were here, looking for a word of hope,’ Landis said.
Among them were people who have family and friends unaccounted for, and they are ‘fearing the worst’ he added.
Clinging to hopes of finding missing survivors, people sifted through a crowd-sourced online database listing thousands of names of individuals who had been found as well as of those who remained unaccounted for.
Family and friends mobilized on social media, sharing information about their missing loved ones, asking for help in locating them.
‘Still searching for my in-laws,’ Heather Baylosis wrote in a Saturday Instagram post. ‘People are being found alive and severely disoriented due to what they have gone through. We are holding out hope!’
Megan Sweeting wrote on her Facebook page, ‘MISSING: My Dad, Michael Misaka, has been missing since the Lahaina Fires started. If there is any information out there regarding my dad please let me know. I just need to know he is safe.’
Hundreds of people were still missing, though a precise count remained unclear.
Governor Green again vowed to investigate the response to the blaze and the emergency notification systems after some residents questioned whether more could have been done to warn them.
Some witnesses said they had little warning, describing their terror as the blaze destroyed the town around them in what seemed to be a matter of minutes. Others dove into the Pacific Ocean to escape.
Sirens stationed around the island, intended to warn of impending natural disasters, never sounded, and widespread power and cellular outages hampered other forms of alerts.
‘We’ll know soon whether or not they did enough to get those sirens going,’ Green told MSNBC.
The Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu celebrated Mass on Sunday at a church in Kapalua – just up the road from fire-ravaged Lahaina – and urged those reeling from the wildfire not to give up hope.
‘How could this be a good, loving God allowing such things to happen?’ the Most Rev. Clarence ‘Larry’ Silva asked. ‘We need to wrestle with that. The worst thing we can do is to give God the silent treatment. If we are angry with God we should tell him so. He can take it. He will still love us.’
During the Mass, Silva read a message from Pope Francis that he was praying for those who lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods – as well as for first responders
After the service, Silva declared ‘God loves us in tragedies and good times’ and urged those present ‘to share that faith with others who may lose it or don’t have it so that they can go on and they don’t give up hope.’
Attendees embrace during a church service at King’s Cathedral in Kahului on the island of Maui, Hawaii Sunday, August 13
Attendees embrace during a church service at King’s Cathedral in Kahului on the island of Maui, Hawaii Sunday, August 13
An attendee is overcome with emotions during a church service at King’s Cathedral in Kahului on the island of Maui, Hawaii Sunday, August 13
Attendees embrace during a church service at King’s Cathedral in Kahului on the island of Maui, Hawaii Sunday, August 13
Parishioners attend Mass at Sacred Hearts Mission Church in Kapalua, Hawaii, August 13
One family of four – Faaso and Malui Fonua Tone, Salote Takafua, and her son, Tony Takafua – died while attempting to flee from the flames. Their remains were found Thursday in a burned car near their home.
READ MORE: Family of four died inside their car as they tried to flee the Lahiana firestorm
‘The magnitude of our grief is indescribable,’ read a statement from family members.
Lylas Kanemoto, who knew the Tone family, confirmed the devastating news Sunday.
‘At least we have closure for them, but the loss and heartbreak is unbearable for many. We as a community has to just embrace each other and support our families, friends, and our community to our best of our abilities,’ Kanemoto told the AP by text message on Sunday.
Kanemoto is still awaiting news on her cousin, Glen Yoshino, who is missing.
‘I’m afraid he is gone because we have not heard from him and he would’ve found a way to contact family,’ Kanemoto said. ‘We are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.’
A retired fire captain – Geoff Bogar, and his friend of 35 years – Franklin Trejos, initially stayed behind to help others in Lahaina and save Bogar’s house. But as the flames moved closer and closer Tuesday afternoon, they knew they had to flee.
Each escaped to their own car. When Bogar’s vehicle wouldn’t start, he broke through a window to get out and crawled on the ground until a police patrol found him and brought him to a hospital.
Trejos didn’t escape.
When Bogar returned the next day, he found the bones of his 68-year-old friend in the back seat of his car, lying on top of the remains of the Bogars’ beloved 3-year-old golden retriever Sam, whom he had tried to protect.
Trejos, a native of Costa Rica, had lived for years with Bogar and his wife, Shannon Weber-Bogar, helping her with her seizures when her husband couldn’t. He filled their lives with love and laughter.
‘God took a really good man,’ Weber-Bogar said.
Maui County firefighters fight flare-up fires in a canyon in Kula on Maui island, August 13
A caretaker photographs the site of a home destroyed by the Maui wildfires in Kula, Hawaii on August 13
Fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, the fire started Tuesday and took Maui by surprise, racing through parched brush covering the island and then flattening homes and anything else that lay in its path.
Lahaina’s wildfire risk was well known. Maui County’s hazard mitigation plan, last updated in 2020, identified Lahaina and other West Maui communities as having frequent wildfire ignitions and a large number of buildings at risk of wildfire damage.
Last week, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Adam Weintraub said the department’s records don’t show that Maui’s warning sirens were triggered on Tuesday. Instead, the county used emergency alerts sent to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations, Weintraub told the Associated Press.
It’s not clear if those alerts were sent before widespread power and cellular outages cut off most communication to Lahaina.
West Maui was also identified as having the island’s highest population of people living in multi-unit housing, the second-highest rate of households without a vehicle, and the highest rate of non-English speakers.
‘This may limit the population’s ability to receive, understand and take expedient action during hazard events,’ the plan noted.
Maui’s firefighting efforts may also have been hampered by a small staff, Bobby Lee, the president of the Hawaii Firefighters Association, said last week. There are a maximum of 65 firefighters working at any given time in Maui County, and they are responsible for fighting fires on three islands – Maui, Molokai and Lanai – he said.
Those crews have about 13 fire engines and two ladder trucks, but they are all designed for on-road use.
The department does not have any off-road vehicles, which would allow crews to attack brush fires thoroughly before they reach roads or populated areas, he said.
That forces fire crews to wait for brush fires to reach an area where they can attack it with fire engines and other equipment, Lee said. The high winds caused by Hurricane Dora made that extremely difficult, he said.
‘You’re basically dealing with trying to fight a blowtorch,’ Lee said. ‘You’ve got to be careful – you don’t want to get caught downwind from that, because you’re going to get run over in a wind-driven fire of that magnitude.’
Maui Fire Department Chief Brad Ventura said the fire moved so quickly from brush to neighborhood that it was impossible to get communications to emergency management agencies responsible for getting warnings out.
This undated photo provided by Shannon Weber-Bogar shows Franklin Trejos with his golden retriever Sam. Trejos died in the Lahaina, Hawaii wildfires while using his body to shield Sam in the back of his car. The bodies were found Wednesday
Faaso and Malui Fonua Tone were found dead in their car Thursday as they tried to escape the devastating blaze that destroyed virtually all of Lahaina
Also killed were Faaso and Malui’s adult daughter Salote Takafua and her son Tony
Mandatory evacuation orders were in place for Lahaina residents, Bissen noted, while tourists in hotels were told to shelter in place so that emergency vehicles could get into the area.
The mayor said that downed power poles added to the chaos as people attempted to flee Lahaina by cutting off two important roads of town.
Speaking at a Thursday afternoon press conference, he said that 29 poles fell with live wires still attached, cutting off the roads to Wailuku and the airport and leaving only the narrow highway toward Kahakuloa.
The cost to rebuild Lahaina was estimated at $5.5 billion, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with more than 2,200 structures damaged or destroyed and more than 2,100 acres burned.
Source: Read Full Article