△Comparison before and after satellite images show that Lahaina was seriously damaged by the fire
"Walking between burned houses is like being blown up by a bomb." - Theara, the tourist
"Lahaina is like the origin of a nuclear explosion, with a pungent smell of smoke everywhere and people's cries everywhere." - Mr. and Mrs. Cárdenas, tourists
"People lost everything, houses, jobs, cars, pets, and people, they were all missing." - Hunter, a Maui resident
△Comparison before and after satellite images show that Lahaina was seriously damaged by the fire
A fire broke out on Maui, Hawaii, USA, on August 8. According to the latest data released by the state of Hawaii on the 16th, the number of deaths caused by wildfires in Maui has reached 111, causing more than 2,200 buildings in Maui County to be damaged, and the damage caused is expected to be close to 6 billion US dollars. The Washington Post reported that this is the deadliest wildfire disaster in the United States in a century. With only about one-third of Maui's fire area currently searched, the death toll could still rise significantly in the future, the local government said.
The raging fire tore the town apart
The town of Lahaina, a resort with a permanent population of only 12,000 and the economic center of western Maui that attracts millions of visitors each year, is now the hardest hit area by Maui's wildfires.
After the wildfires crossed, almost all the buildings on Front Street, the main street of Lahaina, were razed to the ground. This is the contrast between before and after the fire, which, taken together, looks particularly cruel:
However, in the face of monstrous fires and epic disasters, the reaction of the US authorities shocked the whole world.
Silent siren
"We were forgotten and didn't know what really happened. We saw smoke rising and suddenly received a notice to evacuate, it was really the last minute, without prior warning, let's hurry up. —Brian, a tourist from Los Angeles, California
Hawaii boasts the world's largest outdoor-connected public safety early warning system, with about 400 alarms deployed to alert the public to threats such as natural disasters. Among them, Maui has 80 sirens, which are densely distributed around the site of the fire as seen on the map. But when wildfires broke out, no sirens sounded.
△Maui siren distribution map
The Hawaiian State Fire Emergency Department said on the 11th that when the fire spread, the Maui fire alarm system did not respond, but the emergency department issued early warning information through mobile phones, radio and television. In response, many Maui residents also said that when the fire spread, they did not hear any alarm or receive relevant information, and did not realize the danger until they saw the flames or heard the explosion.
A belated rescue
"You stand there with a water pipe, but the water pipe doesn't come out, so you can only watch the fire spread." - Maui resident Ross Hart
Even more infuriating than the disappearing alarms was the belated rescue of the US authorities after the disaster.
The fire convoy that was required to arrive within 4 minutes of the fire failed to "arrive as promised". In order to avoid the fire and smoke, many tourists had to jump into the Pacific Ocean to escape. Someone survived after nearly five hours floating at sea.
According to local residents, there was not enough water for firefighting in the first time after the fire. Maui resident Ross Hart said the water system was shut down and even patrolling firefighters couldn't refill their fire trucks.
Image source: The New York Times
The shortage of firefighters also makes it difficult to extinguish fires. The U.S. has an average of 3.6 firefighters per 1,000 people, while Maui County has an average of 1.7 firefighters per 1,000 people, less than half the national average. Local media reported that on the afternoon of the fire, only nearly 30 firefighters participated in the rescue.
△Location map of Oahu and Maui
Not far from the blaze, is a U.S. military base on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, where nearly 40,000 U.S. troops are stationed, but there was no response after the fire, and it was not until the third day after the fire that the U.S. Department of Defense said it was mobilizing active-duty troop resources to help respond to the fire.
Residents who can only help themselves
"Everyone is trapped in that corner of Lahaina, and the government is leading us into a death trap." - Maui residents
Image source: The New York Times
According to CNN, after Hawaii experienced one of the worst disasters in modern history, Maui people spontaneously organized rescue and became "emergency responders and commanders in response to difficult situations." Hundreds of lifeguards, carpenters and others set up about a dozen makeshift centers and stockpiled supplies on the charred land of Lahaina, largely without the help of anyone in uniform, the official figure.
The Washington Post reported that after the fire, many ships laden with relief supplies arrived on Maui not by federal or state agencies, but were organized by residents, mostly led by Native Hawaiians, who have been coordinating large-scale disaster relief efforts to serve everyone in need.
Many people fleeing the fires lack gasoline, water and other necessities. An informal network of volunteers has created a temporary aid delivery system, but some people find it difficult to understand why they have to turn to friends and private organizations for help instead of government agencies.
Indifferent US government
△ New York Post report article: Biden seems to have forgotten Maui, and he finally spoke publicly about the wildfire disaster in Hawaii.
The fire on Maui, Hawaii, caused heavy casualties and property damage, and U.S. President Joe Biden's "no comment" response to the Maui fire incident on August 13 has been widely criticized for his avoidance of responding positively when he was repeatedly asked when he would go to offer condolences.
American public opinion pointed out that the US government was ineffective in disaster relief in Lahaina, and the local indigenous people did not trust the government, which reflected the deep historical trauma left by American colonialism in Hawaii. NBC reported on the 16th that after the disaster in Lahaina, many local indigenous people would rather live in the burned ruins than go to the relief center set up by the US government. Some indigenous people said that the U.S. government has historically treated indigenous peoples as "second-class citizens" who are not valued, and many people fear that the U.S. government will take the opportunity to remove them from the land they have lived in for generations, and they have no trust in the U.S. government.
On August 16, local time, the White House finally issued a statement saying that US President Biden will visit Hawaii State on August 21, local time. This will be 13 days after the fire burns ... This scene is familiar to us. At the beginning of this year, a train derailment accident occurred in eastern Palestine, Ohio, and local residents waited for support, but Biden went to Ukraine with military aid worth 460 million on "President's Day".
In the face of disaster, whether the American people do not trust the government, or the US government is not trustworthy, this fire once again gives the truth.
Source: CCTV News