Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii - Tuesday 8 August 2023

Lahaina is a pile of ashes. The original capital, and the seat of the Hawaiian queen.

I won't post a link, but go to YouTube and type in "Lahaina" or "Maui Fires". There's also a number of videos on Odysee.com. Recommend videos by Hawaii Real Estate, and Hustle Bitch, for starters.

Initially, extremely strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing 500 miles downed trees and powerlines.

Then wildfires started. The morning fire was under control, people told not to worry.
The afternoon fire turned into devastation, spreading down through grasslands and into the houses and business district.

Too many failures on the part of the authorities. I can't fathom it in light of the co-ordination of our own cyclone and fire procedures in Australia. This is not just another cyclone, this is not just another fire.

Maui has the best emergency siren system in the world, yet the authorities decided not to use it. There was no power, no mobile or internet service. The authorities turned off the water.

People had no idea of an emergency til the smoke was overwhelming and they could see the flames. People tried to get out of town - yet the police had inexplicably blocked off the roads. The police were turning people back into the fire zone. Countless reports of people experiencing this. Many people only escaped by driving around barricades and ignoring orders and instructions. In the blocked off Front Street, people burned alive in their cars, whole families. Others escaped over the wall into onto rocky outcrops and a choppy sea, up to their shoulders - at least 75 people in the water up to 8 hours in the water at night.

Google Maps and Google Earth have updated to real time, now showing everything that's burned.

After the fire FEMA and Red Cross were tardy in arriving. Hawaiians had sent trucks with donations beforehand, yet the authorities would not allow them in, turning them away and road blocks. People tried to bring donations in by boat, but were turned back, though they got through eventually. If anyone left they were not allowed back in.

There are officially about 115 people dead, with over 1,000 "missing". There are 3,000 school children normally enrolled. 1,000 have re-enrolled elsewhere - but there are 2,000 children unaccounted for.

There has been a lot of very very odd things happening, that have you wondering all kinds of things.

That's the short story, not even a quarter of what I've learned.