By Michael Snyder,
Just when you think that this story can’t get any worse, somehow it does. It is being reported that the wildfires that we just witnessed in Maui were the deadliest wildfires in the entire history of the United States, and according to Moody’s Analytics, they caused somewhere between four and six billion dollars in economic damage. But the outcome could have been much different if authorities had responded more competently. In fact, the fire that ultimately completely destroyed Lahaina could have been controlled if fire crews had not “left the scene even though the fire was still burning”…
Maui locals have questioned why the blaze, which developed into deadly wildfires that swept across the island, was left unattended by firefighters hours before it spread.
A fire broke out on the outskirts of Lahaina at around 6.30am on Tuesday, August 8 and was declared ‘100 percent contained’ several hours later. Fire crews then left the scene even though the fire was still burning within the containment area.
But within a few hours, there was a ‘flareup’ which quickly spiraled out of control and fire crews who responded again were unable to extinguish it.
Once the fire came roaring back to life, lives could have been saved if authorities had not put up a barricade that blocked the only paved road out of Lahaina…
As flames tore through a West Maui neighborhood, car after car of fleeing residents headed for the only paved road out of town in a desperate race for safety.
And car after car was turned back toward the rapidly spreading wildfire by a barricade blocking access to Highway 30.
Have you seen photos of the lines of vehicles destroyed by fire right in the middle of the road?
An enormous number of people were trying to get out of Lahaina, and the only paved road out of the community became a death trap because so many vehicles got crammed behind the barricade.
But those who decided to disregard the barricade and drive around it saved themselves…
One family swerved around the barricade and was safe in a nearby town 48 minutes later, another drove their 4-wheel-drive car down a dirt road to escape. One man took a dirt road uphill, climbing above the fire and watching as Lahaina burned. He later picked his way through the flames, smoke and rubble to pull survivors to safety.
But dozens of others found themselves caught in a hellscape, their cars jammed together on a narrow road, surrounded by flames on three sides and the rocky ocean waves on the fourth. Some died in their cars, while others tried to run for safety.
We are being told that the barricade had been put up to prevent people from driving over any power lines that may have been knocked over.
But when all those people desperately tried to get out, why wasn’t the barricade taken down?
Hopefully, we can get an answer to that question.
We are also being told that “safety” was why the warning sirens were never used, and Hawaii Governor Josh Green is still attempting to defend that decision…
In speaking to Face the Nation, Green reiterated this, saying that the sirens, which also were not fully functional, are used for tsunamis. “Do I wish those sirens went off? Of course I do,” he said. “And I think that the answer that the emergency administrator for Maui, who’s resigned, was, of course utterly unsatisfactory to the world. But it is the case that that we’ve historically not used those kinds of warnings for fires.”
A water official also delayed releasing more water to help firefighters battle the blaze, waiting five hours to approve a request to divert more water. He felt it necessary to consult with a local farmer on the impact of water diversion prior to releasing it. M. Kaleo Manuel resigned from his position as the deputy director of the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management, and was transferred to a different position in government.
The politicians will try to cover their rear ends, but nothing will bring back all the people killed.
So many children were at home alone because the schools were closed, and many never even knew that the fires were coming until it was too late…
“The kids just don’t have a filter. So their son ran up and was just telling our son, you know, ‘This kid is dead. This kid is dead.’ And it’s like, all my son’s friends that they come to our house every day,” he said. “And their parents were at work, and they were home alone. And nobody had a warning. Nobody, nobody, nobody knew.”
The actual death toll may never be known.
Authorities are doing their best to identify victims, but in some cases, entire corpses may have been “cremated by the intense heat”…
Many of those killed in Maui’s wildfires may never be properly identified because the devastating heat has made it so difficult to obtain DNA from remains, officials have warned.
The grim task has also been made harder because so few relatives of the missing have provided DNA samples to compare with the victims, leading authorities to plead for more people to come forward.
Officials said that they have been unable to obtain a usable DNA sample from 25 percent of the remains found so far. Fire experts say it’s possible some bodies were cremated by the intense heat, potentially leaving no bones left to identify through sampling.
Joe Biden finally took a break from his vacation to visit Hawaii.
When a top official makes a trip like this, it is supposed to comfort the people.
Instead, local residents were horrified when Biden joked about how hot the ground was…
President Biden jokes about how hot the ground is in Maui after a fire ripped through, killing hundreds.
“You guys catch the boots out here? That’s a hot ground, man,” he joked.
Despite media reports of roughly 100 deaths from the fires, locals estimate that at least 480 people were killed.
“I know there are at least 480 dead here in Maui and I don’t understand why they’re [the authorities] not saying that,” said one local.
Biden is truly an embarrassment to this nation.
Many Americans wish he would resign, but then we would end up with Kamala Harris in the White House.
We have such weak leadership at all levels of government, and it is just a matter of time before more major disasters hit this nation.
When a major disaster strikes, please use common sense.
Because if you mindlessly follow government instructions, you could end up like those who were burned alive in their own vehicles in Lahaina.
Cross-Posted with Conservative Firing Line
