Source: International Online
As of the 17th local time, the death toll of the Maui fire in Hawaii, the United States, has risen to 111.
With only about one-third of Maui's burned-out area currently searched, the death toll could still rise significantly over the next ten days, the local government said.
Screenshot of CNN report
The White House issued a statement on the 16th that President Biden will visit Hawaii on the 21st local time.
The day before, Biden said for the first time under outside pressure that he and his wife would "go to Hawaii as soon as possible." At the same time, he has authorized the use of "all available federal assets" to assist local staff.
Screenshot of the CBS website report
This statement comes a full week after the deadliest fire in 105 years in the United States.
"Volunteers are more reliable than governments"
What happened to Maui in the week leading up to the President's Promise?
In fact, from the moment the fire started, this natural disaster added more man-made disasters.
The fire, which began on the 8th, spread out of control due to strong winds and drought. However, it has been reported that the chronic underestimation of the fire threat is one of the main causes of the major disasters caused by the fire.
A report released last year by the Hawaii State Emergency Management Agency ranked the natural disasters most likely to threaten the state's residents, and wildfires rated the physical safety of local residents as "low."
Screenshot of CNN report
US media also revealed that a few days before the fire, weather forecasts had warned that the upcoming hurricane could trigger dangerous fires. However, the local power company did not take appropriate measures to cut off the power grid in advance, which further made it difficult to extinguish the fire.
What's more, when the fire broke out, the two key systems in the local response to the fire, the emergency alarm system and the fire protection system, both lost their chains.
New York Times: Firefighters say hydrants in the hardest-hit town of Lahaina either have insufficient water pressure or no water at all, making it difficult to fight the fire.
The subsequent slow and ineffective government rescue response caused secondary harm to the affected people.
The police dog team, which searched for the bodies of the victims, began work on Maui only five days after the wildfires. Moreover, many days after the fire, people in the hardest-hit areas still have difficulty obtaining urgently needed supplies such as food, and can only survive by helping each other.
In the words of the New York Times, the early relief efforts were almost entirely self-organized by native residents, with no presence of the National Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, state and local governments.
"Local volunteers form a more reliable lifeline for disaster relief than federal and local agencies."
Screenshot of the New York Times report
The fire caused serious casualties and property damage to the local area.
According to disaster damage assessments by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pacific Disaster Center, the fire damaged or destroyed more than 2,200 buildings, mostly homes, in the town of Lahaina, Maui. It is estimated that more than $5 billion will be spent to rebuild local communities and infrastructure.
Some 4,500 residents will continue to need emergency shelter during the reconstruction process.
Screenshot of the CBS website report
However, it is uncertain whether the much-awaited post-disaster reconstruction will soon be realized.
In fact, from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to the derailment of a poisoned train earlier this year, it has become commonplace for American governments at all levels to be indifferent and contemptuous of people's lives and property, and for rescue operations to be slow and chaotic.
Disasters are just a "political scorecard" for attacking opponents
This past weekend, as the Maui fire continued to rage, US President Joe Biden, who was on vacation, declined to comment on fire-related issues.
Screenshot of a report on the British "Daily Mail"
More well-known than the indifference of politicians is the American-style farce of party strife that plays out every time disaster strikes.
Biden's negative response to the fire once again gave Republicans a rare handle. Some duly turned over Biden's negative reaction earlier this year to the leak of toxic chemicals caused by the derailment of a train in the eastern Palestinian town of Ohio.
Monica Crowley, assistant secretary of the Treasury in the Trump administration, wrote on social media: "Biden does not care about the suffering of the people of Maui, including those who are suffering in East Palestine, Ohio, and those who are suffering in border towns, or those who are suffering anywhere in America." ”
Monica Crowley compared the devastated areas of Hawaii to Biden's vacation riding on social media.
What is even more ironic is that on the 14th local time, the Biden administration announced another $200 million in military aid to Ukraine.
In this regard, Republican presidential candidate Viwerk Ramaswamy immediately criticized on social media: "It's a shame, American taxpayers are actually paying the salaries of Ukrainian public officials, while we citizens in Maui are fending for themselves in more than 2,200 houses destroyed by fire." ”
Screenshot of Vivek Ramaswamy's social media
Local media reported that the main funder of reconstruction in the affected areas is the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but the agency is already facing a serious funding shortfall due to partisan politics in Washington.
It is worth noting that the Biden administration just asked Congress last week to approve tens of billions of dollars in additional appropriations, including $12 billion for domestic disaster relief in the United States and $24.1 billion for emergency aid to Ukraine. This means that the reconstruction of Maui must be linked to U.S. aid to Ukraine.
Many Republicans accused the Biden administration of using the necessary disaster relief funds as a "bargaining chip" to win more unauthorized funds for Ukraine, which is equivalent to "holding the American people hostage".
Screenshot of Hawaii's Honolulu Civil Beat news network report
In this way, the prospects for reconstruction after the Maui Fire were submerged in a flood of party strife.
As the American media commented in the aftermath of the drug train crisis in East Jerusalem, toxic politics follows whenever disaster befalls a divided America. Whether it's a hurricane, an industrial accident, or a train derailment, it's used as a "political scorecard" to attack their opponents, and the disaster itself is not important to them.
Screenshot of CNN report
Source丨Global Information Broadcast "Global Deep Observation"
Planning丨Wang Jian
Reporter 丨 Shan Shan
Editor丨Lin Wei
Signed for trial 丨 Wang Jian
Executive producer丨Guan Juanjuan
Source: Global InfoBroadcast