The media is already talking about the deadliest wildfire disaster in the US in recent times: according to the district of Maui in the US state of Hawaii, at least 93 people have died there in recent days due to forest and forest fires. The discovery of more deaths is to be feared, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said Saturday (local time). The small town of Lahaina was hit particularly hard, with many streets looking like a war zone.
The question is getting louder whether the authorities could not have reacted much better to the accident. “There’s no transparency,” Hawaiian pro surfer Kai Lenny said in a video posted to Instagram. “The government doesn’t tell us what’s going on, so no one knows how we can help.” Lenny said he himself used a jet ski to get people’s basic needs across the water because many roads were closed.
The civil protection agency FEMA said on Saturday that a dozen federal agencies are working on relief efforts for victims of the blaze. 150 personnel, including search and rescue teams, are already on Maui with more on the way.
Evacuations ordered too late?
There was also criticism that early warning sirens were not used on Maui. The rescue effort was also complicated by the fact that Lahaina in the north and south can only be reached by a major access road.
In the city, which had a population of some 13,000 before the accident, there were also complaints that an evacuation may have been ordered too late – according to the “New York Times” on Facebook, there were reports from authorities on Thursday that the fire was under control. are. Fire Chief Bradford Ventura later said at a press conference that the fires had spread surprisingly quickly and that it had previously been “almost impossible” to order evacuations quickly enough.
Gov. Green acknowledged that emergency supplies are slow to get started because it is difficult to bring supplies from other islands to Maui. The situation is unprecedentedly devastating. Green said he ordered an investigation into authorities’ initially slow response, according to CNN. Meanwhile, firefighters are still working to put out fires in several regions of the island, the Maui district government said Saturday night.
“This is easily the worst natural disaster Hawaii has ever seen,” the governor said Saturday as he toured the devastation at a historic site.
Thousands of buildings destroyed
About 2,200 buildings in the district were damaged or destroyed by the fire, according to updated figures from the Pacific Disaster Center and the US Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA. Initial estimates assume around 5.5 billion dollars (5.0 billion euros) for reconstruction there.
In addition to the fires in western Maui, fires broke out in other regions of the island and on the neighboring island of Hawaii early this week, which had spread rapidly due to strong winds with speeds of up to 80 mph. With an area of about 1900 square kilometers, the Hawaiian island is about half the size of the Spanish island of Mallorca.
Celebrities clamored for support
Meanwhile, American celebrities, including actors Jason Momoa and Jessica Alba, called for support for relief efforts and reconstruction of the region.
The British King Charles III also joined the international sympathy. and his wife, Queen Camilla. In a letter to US President Joe Biden, they expressed “deep shock” at the situation in Maui. “We can only imagine the magnitude of the destruction that has engulfed the island and the heartbreaking desperation of those whose livelihoods have been so disastrously affected,” it said. The pope also remembered the victims of the fires in Hawaii during the Angelus prayer at the Vatican on Sunday.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
