Too many fires, why oh why?
According to the news, the first sign of the tragedy that unfolded in Lahaina, Maui in Hawaii two weeks ago, on August 8, 2023, was an early morning brush fire in uninhabited lands off the coastal highway roughly northeast of town. The fire crew had put the fire out according to various reports by about 10am in the morning, and the fire crew left the scene even though they should have stayed longer due to the windiness. While the exact source remains a mystery—whether there was a new fire from a downed powerpole or this fire had spread underground—by about 2:30pm this fire had flared up. Due to increasing winds throughout the morning and particularly by afternoon, the fire quickly spread. By 4pm people were fleeing for their lives, but many were trapped in a traffic jam on Front Street in old town, Lahaina.
News and videos show a lot of footage of the disaster which forced residents to abandon their cars and flee into the ocean. People choked to death due to toxic fumes. The wind and the waves pushed people off shore. Even boats caught on fire and burned to a crisp. Buildings were burned right down to their foundations, left as a crumbling mess. Yet, whether due to the erratic high winds or something else, trees were left standing and dry grass did not necessarily ignite. The mainstream news claimed for several days that only 36 people died. But news got out in alternative media from personal testimony by survivors that from the thousand or so missing people, the count must be much higher. For instance, in one nursing home, it was questionable whether the residents made it out on time. Whereas normally the fire takes over 40 minutes to burn a home down, these fires took down buildings in under 20 minutes.
In fact, according to PeggyHall.substack.com, there were many oddities about the fires—and a host of other vloggers began also asking questions over the past few days based on eyewitness reports.
Why was the emergency service director, Herman Andaya off the island almost all day and the day before?
It turns out that Mr. Andaya was attending the Pacific Partnership Meeting in Waikiki in Oahu. Ironically while the fires (there were several) were burning in Maui, and there had to be gale warnings due to the hurricane watch, the director was busy learning about how to respond to typhoons and other disasters, and networking. It does not get more funnel-headed than this—but this is how completely out of touch officials can become. In fact, he told the press he had no regrets that he did not activate the County of Maui Outdoor Warning Siren system even though per the Maui Emergency Management Agency website, the world’s largest and most integrated siren system is tested monthly to train residents to recognize the sound.
The all-hazard siren system can be used for a variety of both natural and human-caused events; including tsunamis, hurricanes, dam breaches, flooding, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, terrorist threats, hazardous material incidents, and more. –https://dod.hawaii.gov/hiema/all-hazard-statewide-outdoor-warning-siren-system/
Why were roads seemingly unnecessarily blocked from Lahaina Bypass (highway 3000) and traffic blocked along Lahaina Highway 30, forcing cars to redirect down to Front Street?
There were testimony from various residents. One such testimony comes from “Fish” who was interviewed by Eric West of Hawaii Real Estate (YouTube) in “Maui Police Blocked Escape Routed.” Fish, a street vendor, tells Eric that the West/Northwest end of Front Street was blocked by the police to prevent vehicular traffic heading to Wahikuli and Lahaina Civic Center—away from the fires descending down toward the beach.
Similarly, Jonathan Petramala (YT) has first-hand accounts by Noah Tompkinson of a mother and two sons fleeing the fire, but not being able to evacuate due to blocked roads. Ultimately the family had to shelter in the ocean, standing in shallow water in the wharf, as fumes surrounded them. Their car was abandoned South/SE of Safeway near the Children of the Rainbow Preschool (“Chaotic Maui Evacuation: Police Block Exits”).
And recently Jonathan Herzog (YT) uploaded a 40 minute video of his harrowing escape from Lahaina on the afternoon of the firestorm. He had come in to Lahaina for work from South/Southeast town of Kihei. After finishing work, he thought he could head back south on the bypass, but was redirected in circles going north along highway 30, then south, and finding various police cars/officers basically redirecting traffic down to Front Street. As the firestorm approached westwards towards the beach, he parked his van near the Kingdom Hall (south/southeast of Safeway along Front Street) and fled towards Mala Wharf. Only by following along the beach head was he able to make it safely to Wahikuli State Park, and eventually to the Hyatt Regency.
Various survivors have described the Front Street carnage as a massacre, death trap, and even as a “kill-zone.” What was amazing is that nobody ran a cop over from road rage like they likely would do on the mainland. There are also uploaded videos from residents, such as “Video: ‘This was not a natural disaster’–Alleged Maui Island, Hawaii Fire Survivor and Firsthand Witness Raise Disturbing Questions About Deadly Wildfire” at USASupreme.com. A detailed and interesting interview is at Rumble, Michaelj5326 with Maui resident Dr. Kathi Forti, who also described her visit to Lahaina on the morning of, and departure from the fire/windstorm.
Are the authorities bungling the emergency provisions for food, water, and shelter?
Apparently enough residents think so. For instance Omege BlogTV has two video compilations with various residents’ complaints. This includes police or authorities stopping supply drops unless it is from official groups such as the Red Cross, looting of supplies (at night), hoarding or nondistribution of supplies, and insensitivity of officials (such as Mayor Bissen) and Governor Josh Green. One resident describes the aftermath of a similar firestorm Nikki in 1992, when the island marine corps quickly mobiized ships and aircraft and organized supply sorties daily: water, generators, medicine, doctors, “it never stopped for two months.”
“Where are the helicopters, where’s the military…why is it that the locals have to do everything…why is that like Kai Lenny and [Kelly] Slater and all these amazing people have to take matters into their own hands..We should be seeing loads and loads of helicopters dropping off. We need toilets, thousands of toilets..” —former Marine from Hawaii
In “Families flee wildfires into ocean as Maui Boats Aid Fire Relief Efforts” at Jonathan Petramala (YT), boaters are shown volunteering their time and efforts to suspend tours and haul supplies in from the other side of the island to get around fires and blocked off roads. Human ingenuity allows people to provide one another supplies to help meet the shortfall of deliveries or lockdowns at the War Memorial Hall (a donation base). However as other vloggers note there is not only a shortage of water and power but no access to the internet, except for those with Starlink.
Promises Promises by Biden Administration
As one former marine notes, if the government is not going to help, if there is so much obstruction, then at least give the land back to the natives so they can manage things themselves. Don’t confiscate the food they cook to share with victims, obstruct them from creating their own supply points just because they lack a commercial license, don’t steal more of their lands by eminent domain, and please allow them time to grieve for their missing children and destroyed businesses. Their voices are captured in clips by Tim Truth at Bitchute.
KITV.com also featured a special news presentation, “Lahaina families hold press conference to address community, disaster response” on August 18, 2023, the weekend before the President and the First Lady planned a visit. The Hawaiians make clear that the history of Lahaina as the capital of Hawaii creates an extra impact. The spokeswomen emphasize that the Ohana people of Lahaina know best how to rebuild their old community. Tiari Lawrence also stated priorities:
“One, give the community the time to grieve…give the people time to heal…Two, put the community first in any planning process for rebuilding Lahaina; the governor should work with the community to develop a plan that meets the needs of the people…Number three, we ask the governor to amend the emergency proclamation to ensure that….this law guarantees the public’s right to know about government decision-making…that all decisions about the rebuilding of Lahaina are made in the open and with full participation of our Lahaina community…”
Can a better future be envisioned? It must be caring and respectful of the local cultures, not just more providing a defense of inadequate responses compared to, for instance, a lot more money for Ukraine.
However here is what the WhiteHouse.gov “Fact Sheet” on the Biden-Harris response includes: a promise to mobilize a ‘robust whole-of-government response effort’ for Maui fire rescue and recovery, including dozens of Federal departments and agencies. A list of ongoing coordinations for search, sheltering supplies, meals, water, one-time payment of $700 per household, low-interest disaster loans by the SBA, SNAP welfare benefits, road clearing, hazardous waste removal, fire suppression activities, and defense of the island. To bolster the popularity of the President, Biden also recently provided a clarification of his delivering student debt relief and promise of debt cancellation or debt forgiveness. Finally the White House has issued a $40.1 billion dollar supplemental funding request. This will condition additional funding for FEMA disaster relief of $12 billion dollars with approval of an estimate $24 billion for Ukraine in a next round of assistance in its war against Russia. Critically an estimated $4 billion will be included for border security, also a controversial issue because of the unresolved migrant policy solutions.
Certainly the President is doing more for Maui, or appears to, than was done in the aftermath of the East Palestine train disaster in Ohio. Of course there are far fewer immediate deaths, but some citizens are also wondering if this is because of upcoming elections, or if it is for the sake of promoting Governor Josh Green’s plan to turn Hawaii into a UN model of smart, sustainable, resilient development in conformance with the SDG2030 green agenda.
Many citizens now even confuse the Biden Build Back Better program with the Green New Deal as originally proposed by the Green Party USA. Green Party leaders have decried the hijacking of the Green New Deal for more corporate greenwashing and carbon commercialization; casualizing terms meant to improve not sterilize the environment; and depriving people of their livelihoods and opportunities to earn a decent living. This is why David Mulinix, Co-chair Green Party of Hawai’i, states in a press release “Connecting the Dots”:
“The response from the government has been less than adequate, with President Biden’s approval of a mere $2,317 per household, which is less than one month’s rent in Maui. This sum falls far short of addressing the comprehensive needs of those who have lost their homes, belongings, and even loved ones. It is shameful that President Joe Biden has asked for a military budget of $813 billion, but is only offering $3.8 million in aid to Hawai’i households, who have lost everything…Biden prioritizing weapons for Ukraine is a theft from those who are most desperately in need on Maui. We can only hope that Hawai’i’s congressional delegation will impress upon Biden that providing for the needs of the people of Maui must take precedence over weapons for a war that provides no security for the citizens of the United States.”
Links to Aid for Maui
With so much fundraising going on, finding reliable ways to donate is important. GoFundMe has opened up a Fire-Fundraising category, but it is difficult to tell who might be authentic. A list of resources includes addresses, websites, and phone numbers shown in the FEMA August 17 press release (https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20230817/biden-harris-administration-provides-38-million-assistance-hawaii-residents#:~:text=To%20date%2C%20FEMA%20has%20approved,to%20the%20state%20of%20Hawaii).
Eric and Lisa West’s Let’s Fill the Gap or MauiLFG.org has many Maui Disaster Relief Resources listed on their page even if you don’t want to donate to their GoFundMe campaign. They are providing free Starlink and generators to people depending upon their needs—West is very committed to improving communications.
Also StopAAPIHate.org recommends these fundraisers to donate to: 1) Maui Mutual Aid Fund organized by Maui Rapid Response (https://mauirapidresponse.org/maui-wildfire/donations/); 2) Kako’o Maui Donation Campaign organized by Council for Native Hawaian Advancement (https://www.hawaiiancouncil.org/); 3) Maui Aloha organized by Hawaii People’s Fund (https://www.hawaiipeoplesfund.org/).
Check the organizations out and donate directly to the source so that there is minimal takeoff. That’s why StopAAPIHate.org is trying to connect with indigenous Hawaiian communities, who understand how to maximize their resources and distribute accordingly.
“We send strength and extend our deepest condolences to the victims who are grappling with the devastating loss of life, livelihood, and security. And we send our support to those who are still fighting to contain the fires and bring immediate relief to those impacted.”—Sending Strength and Support, StopAAPIHate.org
In the ongoing recovery efforts a lot of hard questions still need to be asked, such as exactly why there are so many ongoing wildfires, literally hundreds have broken out in Canada this year, burning 38 million acres as of August 2023, a record in Canada’s history. Are the increase in fires due to hydraulic fracturing? Are they due to the ‘chemtrails’ spraying for weather modification? Are they due to global warming? How much of it is drought related? What about overhead powerlines? Is 5th generation warfare involved such as using Directed Energy Weapons? These are the burning questions that must be addressed in a follow-up article.