The Maui wildfires were the deadliest in over a century. With over 100 people killed, $6 billion in damages, and hundreds still missing, the recovery efforts have been marred with numerous stories of government incompetence. From the power company to the Maui emergency management office, no one seemed to know what they were doing. Protocols that were effective in mitigating wildfires were never implemented.
Water reserves took hours to be released, and every official, from the governor down, is profoundly sloppy at communications. Heads must roll in the aftermath of these deadly wildfires, and Congress should hold hearings because it sounds like the dithering and dysfunction led to people getting killed.
Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator Herman Andaya today defended the decision not to activate emergency sirens warning #Maui residents and visitors about the wildfires. Here's a clip from the press conference.
— Star-Advertiser (@StarAdvertiser) August 17, 2023
Details: https://t.co/0m3zSd9QmD #HInews #StarAdvertiser pic.twitter.com/lSe3iM6flj
The fires have destroyed entire communities. Clean water is now an issue, and why wasn’t the military deployed to help with recovery efforts, specifically the distribution of bottled water to survivors? Some units are assisting now, but the response has been embarrassing.
Herman Andaya, formerly Maui’s disaster chief, resigned hours after he defended his decision not to trigger the island’s alarm system, coldly saying it wouldn’t have saved the people who burned alive anyway. Gov. Josh Green’s rant against unintelligent social media reporting as opposed to ground reports is made even more clownish when those stories are riddled with how young children were torched in the blaze. The mayor of Maui froze when asked how many children remain missing.
On top of that, Hawaiian Electric not only might have compromised the investigation into the fire’s origins by removing materials and debris at locations that were reportedly ground zero for the blaze, but they also knew but did not enact a policy that works in California: cutting off the power to lines that are capable of sparking a fire. Their trucks also blocked the roads used by Maui residents trying to escape the flames; some had to abandon their vehicles and dive into the ocean for safety.
And if there’s one person who could show genuine leadership and provide calm, it’s the president, or it should be in these situations. This person should show up and observe any damage when a major disaster strikes; it’s part of the job description. But we have Joe Biden, who refused to comment on the rising death toll because he was too busy vacationing in Rehoboth Beach and again on Lake Tahoe, shacking up in Tom Steyer’s $18 million home. At the same time, Hawaiians struggle to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. When he arrived nearly two weeks later, it was too late. He also tried to say he knew how these Maui survivors felt because of a little house fire he had endured 15 years ago.
Congress said that hearings into this disaster could be held. Besides holding the Biden crime family accountable, gavel these sessions in–no one had the proper credentials or experience required for a disaster response. Blaming climate change isn't a serious pivot, Hawaii Democrats. Talk to some lawyers, please.
CBS News has learned Maui’s emergency operations chief had no background in disaster response. It’s his department that is responsible for setting off warning sirens, which rang silent during the fires. #maui #wildfires #Lahaina #MauiFire
— Norah O'Donnell 🇺🇸 (@NorahODonnell) August 16, 2023