Wildfire roars through Hawaii’s historic Lahaina
The head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency resigned on Thursday after officials came under increased scrutiny over the response to the devastating wildfires.
Herman Andaya submitted his resignation just one day after he defended his decision of not using outdoor alert sirens before the fires overwhelmed the historic community of Lahaina and killed at least 111 people.
Mr Andaya cited unspecified health reasons, with no further details provided in his letter.
“Given the gravity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I will be placing someone in this key position as quickly as possible,” Maui mayor Richard Bissen said in the statement.
Meanwhile, the search to find and identify victims remains painstakingly slow. Only 10 of the 111 victims so far killed in the fires have been identified.
Residents are also reporting that investors and realtors are trying to capitalise on the wildfires to purchase land from locals. “We’re not going to allow it,” Hawaii governor Josh Green said.
Mr Green said he expects re-building the burned area of Maui to cost $5 billion or more.
How did the Hawaii wildfires start?
Ariana Baio19 August 2023 07:30
Hawaii delayed water that could have been used in wildfires, report says
A Hawaii agency reportedly delayed a water management company’s request to make water available to fight the wildfires in Maui.
In a letter obtained by CNN, a member of the West Maui Land Company complained in a letter that the deputy director of the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management that the agency did not approve the company’s request to divert stream water to nearby reservoirs quickly.
The agency allegedly told West Maui Land Company that they had to inquire about impacts before allowing it while wildfires blazed.
It is unclear if the request’s approval would have significantly affected firefighters’ efforts in Lahaina.
Ariana Baio19 August 2023 05:00
Biden called out for ‘special’ Maui PR drive after backlash over slow response
President Joe Biden delivered a “special” message to the people of Maui on Thursday morning in a pre-recorded video aired on Good Morning America – but for some, the president’s effort was too little too late.
Ariana Baio19 August 2023 03:00
In Hawaii, concerns over ‘climate gentrification’ rise after devastating Maui fires
More than 3,000 buildings in Lahaina were damaged by fire, smoke or both. Insured property losses alone already total some $3.2 billion, according to Karen Clark & Company, a prominent disaster and risk modeling firm.
With a housing crisis that has priced out many Native Hawaiians as well as families that have been there for decades, concerns are rising that the state could become the latest example of “climate gentrification,” when it becomes harder for local people to afford housing in safer areas after a climate-amped disaster.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Wednesday his state attorney general will draft a moratorium on the sale of damaged properties in Lahaina, to protect local landowners from being “victimized” by opportunistic buyers as Maui rebuilds.
Thompson said she supports that “wholeheartedly.” But she acknowledged some people won’t be able to afford to rebuild and will want to sell their land.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Ariana Baio19 August 2023 01:00
White House using ‘whole of government’ approach to Maui wildfire assistance
Ariana Baio19 August 2023 00:00
Hawaiian officials delayed request to divert water to firefighters battling Maui wildfire, report claims
New documents allege that state authorities in Hawaii delayed a water management company’s request to divert water to Maui to help fight wildfires that ripped through the island earlier this month.
The allegations were reportedly detailed in a letter obtained by CNN.
Glenn Tremble of the West Maui Land Company — which manages the state’s water supply companies — expressed his frustration in a letter to the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management, reportedly claiming the agency failed to approve his company’s request to move water to reservoirs to help firefighting capabilities during the wildfire.
He was told that the company had to consider the impact such a diversion would take on downstream users, according to the report.
Graig Graziosi18 August 2023 23:29
Maui homeowner reveals property upgrades that left her house the only one spared by wildfires
The once-colourful homes along the coast of historic Maui town of Lahaina are now mostly obliterated, leaving a series of ruins covered in a layer of grey soot and ash from the devastating wildfires that ravaged the area.
Aerial photos of destroyed properties show a red-roofed home with a pristine white facade and red roof still standing, seemingly untouched by the blazes.
A photo of the scene immediately went viral, with some wondering if it could be Photoshopped or if it was part of a larger conspiracy, like many images that have circulated online in the wake of the disaster.
The simple truth, though, is that the homeowners, Dora Atwater Millikin and her husband, Dudley, made relatively minor adjustments that helped save their property.
Ariana Baio18 August 2023 23:00
Watch: Emotional Maui resident asks why President Joe Biden hasn’t visited after wildfires
Emotional Maui resident asks why President Joe Biden hasn’t visited after wildfires
Ariana Baio18 August 2023 22:00
Fox News criticised for using disgraced ex-FEMA head to attack Biden’s response to Hawaii wildfires
The former FEMA administrator who was critcised for slow rescue efforts amid the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 has been accused of hypocrisy after he called President Joe Biden’s response to the Maui wildfires an “abject failure”.
Despite facing his own barrage of criticism when he headed FEMA, Michael D Brown lambasted the president’s response to the fatal fires on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle. The fires have claimed the lives of at least 111 people, while thousands more have been displaced.
“If he wants to go to Honolulu and meet with the governor, that’s fine. But I can tell you from personal experience that if he goes to Maui, it will interrupt operations because the United States Secret Service will put an air cap over Maui,” Mr Brown said. “They won’t let any helicopters fly. It will be a complete disaster,” he added.
Talking to Mr Brown, host Laura Ingraham said she wasn’t sure “anyone was expecting” Mr Biden to “descend on the ruins” anyway.
“Mr Biden is supposed to be Mr Empathy,” Ingraham continued. “And you don’t see it when you are at the beach. This is a horrific event for the United States. If Donald Trump was at the beach when something like this happened under his watch — I mean, they always criticise him for being on the golf course, I know — but this really took the cake.”
The former FEMA administrator concurred, accusing the president of not knowing how to use “the bully pulpit to talk about everything that’s going on and assuring the people in Maui — and frankly all Americans — that the federal government is doing every single thing that they should be doing.”
Ariana Baio18 August 2023 21:30
ICYMI: Maui wildfire official quits after defending decision not to sound sirens warning of blaze
Maui’s top emergencies official has abruptly resigned as local authorities came under increasing scrutiny over their response to the devastating wildfires that have killed at least 111 people on the Hawaiian island so far.
Herman Andaya, the chief of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, sent his letter of resignation to mayor Richard Bissen on Thursday and it was accepted immediately, the county of Maui confirmed in a statement.
Mr Andaya cited unspecified health reasons for his decision, with no further details provided in the letter.
Ariana Baio18 August 2023 21:00