The alarm didn't go off, the hydrant ran out of water! The number of Hawaiian fire victims rose to 101, and Biden finally spoke out after being criticized

In the face of criticism, US President Joe Biden broke his silence, saying that he would soon leave for Maui, Hawaii.

On August 8, a massive wildfire engulfed the town of Lahaina, on the western edge of Maui. With 101 confirmed dead and about 1,300 missing, the latest figures show that the Lahaina Wildfire is likely to be the worst fire in the United States in more than a century.

However, in the week following the fire, Biden had been vacationing in Delaware. When questioned by media reporters on the 13th, he only said that he "did not comment" on the fire.

At the same time, according to foreign media reports, in addition to the 80 sirens scattered throughout the island, more doubts emerged, and some firefighters at the scene reported that when the fire spread rapidly in Lahaina town, they encountered weak water pressure and dried up fire hydrants. "There is no water in the hydrant at all." Keahi Ho, a firefighter in Lahaina, said.

Biden's performance has been criticized

On the 15th, Biden said in a speech: "My wife Jill and I will go to Hawaii as soon as possible. He expressed the hope that his future visits would not hinder reconstruction efforts. This is the first time Biden has made public comments on the Hawaii fire since last weekend, during which Biden's critics have been criticizing the Biden administration's indifference and poor response.

Doug Heyer, a veteran Republican strategist, said Biden's response "goes against the image of a comforter he has built over two decades."

"Former US President Trump handled disasters badly." "Trump was playing golf when there was a disaster [once] happened," Haye said. But now Biden is on the beach (on vacation) and does not talk about it either. ”

White House deputy press secretary Dalton argued on the 15th that Biden "has been concerned about this matter from the beginning." The White House said more than 300 FEMA personnel had arrived at the scene and provided 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water, 5,000 cribs and 10,000 blankets to people in the disaster area, and the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy are supporting rescue and firefighting efforts.

The latest news from the state of Hawaii shows that as search and rescue capabilities increase, the identification of the number of victims has also begun.

As of the morning of the 15th local time, about 32% of the affected area has been searched, and most of the victims were in the open field, car or water in the Lahaina area when they were found. As more teams and corpse dogs join the operation, the search is expanding to include destroyed communities.

Hawaii Gov. Greene said he expects the number of deaths to rise by 10 to 20 a day over the next 10 days. He explained that it was not clear how many were unaccounted for, in part because of poor communication, "and a lot of people had to run away and leave everything behind." They don't have cell phones – they are all burned."

However, due to other reasons such as lack of equipment, only four victims have been identified by Hawaii so far.

Jonathan Green, deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said on the 15th that the portable mortuary has arrived in Hawaii and will help authorities identify and process the remains through equipment such as examination tables, X-ray machines and laboratory equipment.

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said he hoped searchers would cover 85 to 90 percent of the affected area by the end of the week.

"We started with one search and rescue dog and now we've grown to 20." "We can only move as fast as we can. ”

The fire on the 8th flattened more than 2,200 buildings in the town of Lahaina, and the houses, shops and churches lining the streets of Lahaina were reduced to molten metal and ash.

FEMA data shows that about 4,500 people have been displaced by the blaze and need shelter. FEMA estimates that rebuilding the small town of Lahaina will cost about US$5.5 billion (40 billion yuan).

The alarm did not go off, the hydrant ran out of water

A local firefighter interviewed by the US media said that his truck was connected to the fire hydrant during the disaster relief, but the water pressure was too low to use, and the fire spread beyond the control of the firefighters.

Green responded that Maui's water problems have been going on for years.

Earlier, the public had begun to question that Hawaii has a powerful emergency alarm system with 400 outdoor sirens. On Maui alone, there are 80 outdoor sirens that are tested monthly to warn residents of tsunamis and other natural disasters. But during the deadly wildfire, 80 sirens went off.

Hawaii Emergency Management Agency spokesman Adam Weintraub also confirmed that none of the 400 alarms had been activated while the fire was spreading.

Some residents said in interviews with the media that they received mobile phone alerts early on the 8th, but the power outage in western Maui may have limited the coverage of receiving mobile phone alerts. In fact, the final alert was sent via mobile phones, television and radio stations, but the warning had limited reach due to power and telecommunications network outages.

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez said there would be a "full investigation into critical decisions and long-term policies before, during and after wildfires."

Green said that while incidents related to the emergency response were still under review, the government believed the sirens were "largely immobile" due to extreme heat.

Maui County includes islands such as Maui and Lanai. Maui is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago with a population of more than 100,000. In response to the wildfire, the U.S. Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) later posted GIFs on social media, confirming that multiple wildfires were burning in parts of Hawaii, partly due to strong winds from Hurricane Dora heading south, prompting the wildfires. Green also blamed the tragedy on high winds and drought, saying "the fire spread a mile every minute and caused this tragedy." This means that the tongue of fire is advancing at speeds of up to 96.5 km/h.

"In the era of global warming, fire hurricanes are new to us, but they are the ultimate cause of many deaths." "This is the biggest natural disaster we've ever experienced," Green said. ”

However, the American public is now questioning whether the lack of warning of sirens and the fire caused by power company power lines have aggravated the fire. Two local residents have filed a lawsuit against Hawaiian Electric Industries, alleging negligence in failing to cut off power to reduce the risk of fire.