Trouble in Paradise - Hawaii Wildfires

[Uomo Senza Nome]

Anybody who goes to there right now because it seems like a good way to get a discounted vacation is heartless, cruel, and incredibly selfish.  What kind of vacation do they think they are even going to get in a disaster zone??

I think it was you that once commented on people being assholes. Chocolate covered assholes with asshole filling inside? Or maybe I am thinking of someone else?

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

Anybody who goes to there right now because it seems like a good way to get a discounted vacation is heartless, cruel, and incredibly selfish.  What kind of vacation do they think they are even going to get in a disaster zone??

I think it was you that once commented on people being assholes. Chocolate covered assholes with asshole filling inside? Or maybe I am thinking of someone else?

I thought the quote was "Bastard covered bastards with bastard filling." ?

And I seem to recall someone having that as their sig line quote on the old boards.

[flybynight]

'We need some help here': West Maui Residents Say Government Aid is Scant

Days after the deadliest American wildfire in more than a century ignited in West Maui, killing dozens and leveling more than 2,200 buildings, increasingly frustrated residents say they were receiving far more help from an ad hoc network of volunteers than they were from the government.

It comes as no surprise to most UFoZS regulars that in a major disaster, you cannot expect meaningful assistance from the government any time soon.  FEMA and other emergency response agencies admit as much when they say every household should have an emergency kit that will sustain you and your loved ones (including pets!) for at least 72 hours.  That's the least amount of time you're going to be completely on your own following a large scale emergency.

Another takeaway from the horrifying tragedy that has befallen our fellow citizens in Hawaii: invariably, there are always those, many who themselves are reeling from great personal loss, who roll up their sleeves and get busy helping their neighbors. 

Sure, prep deep and be prepared to protect what's yours from the desperate and marauding mobs.  But one of the reason why I prepare is so I'll be in a position to assist those who need help the most. 

Cajun Navy. Island style

[Uomo Senza Nome]

I thought the quote was "Bastard covered bastards with bastard filling." ?

And I seem to recall someone having that as their sig line quote on the old boards.

Something like that.

[Anianna]

Anybody who goes to there right now because it seems like a good way to get a discounted vacation is heartless, cruel, and incredibly selfish.  What kind of vacation do they think they are even going to get in a disaster zone??

I think it was you that once commented on people being assholes. Chocolate covered assholes with asshole filling inside? Or maybe I am thinking of someone else?

I didn't think it was mine, but the more I think about it, the more I think that is something I might have said at some point, so maybe?  Either way, it's an apt sentiment for the circumstance.

[Uomo Senza Nome]

With less than a 1/3 of the area searched the death toll continues to rise.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/15/us/hawaii-maui-wildfires-death-toll-tuesday/index.html

ADT provides these tips to avoid your home catching from a wildfire:

• Clear your home's surroundings of debris and combustible materials.

This would include cleaning your gutters often if you live in a danger area. The dried debris in the gutter can easily catch and then ignite the roof. Once the roof goes up the house is more or less doomed.

• Maintain your lawn and keep bushes and trees trimmed.

If your yard area has dried grass or dried grass tops it needs to be cut. Cut and remove all dead or insect damaged trees and plants.

• Use fire-resistant materials when building or updating your home.
• Make sure your home has a fully functioning fire alarm system.
• Keep a shovel and fire extinguisher in an easily accessible place.

I would also recommend a hose and a couple of bucket for carrying soil or water.

• Practice appropriate fire safety measures with campfires.
• Prepare a fire safety plan.

[Raptor]

I have been following the cleanup and recovery operations. In many ways it reminds of the Katrina cleanup and body recovery. That aspect can only be described as gruesome. Charred bodies will never be pleasant to find.

One thing that is familiar is the lack of good information coming from the PTB and the slow efforts to resolve the recovery of the dead. This activity by its nature can only be slow if it is to be through. That said I am surprised that a list of the missing has not be published. I am sure some of the missing will be tourists and hence not likely to be known however even residents are complaining about this. 

Another similarity in the resignation of the emergency management head after what I describe as his "You are doing a  heck of job Brownie" moment where everyone defended the fact that no general alarm siren was used. 

Yet another similarity is the FEMA statement that the sate and local authorities are expected to be the first and primary responders and shrugging off their typical slow response.

I think we all know this but the more I read about this event all I can think of is my mantra...."Folks, you are on your own...Plan and act accordingly".  

  

[EBuff75]

Some useful lessons here about protecting your house from wildfires.  It mainly boiled down to open space (more setback from surroundings so that the fire can't actually reach the house) and lack of flammable materials on/around the house (metal roof and lack of shrubs / mulch / etc.) so that any embers which fall don't have anything to ignite. 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/owners-nearly-100-old-wooden-202123828.html

[MacWa77ace]

Prep your property and look for weaknesses. for instance; I can never understand the building codes in CA allowing cedar shake siding and rooves and wood frame houses in the often fire prone hills. CBS block and cement tile rooves people.

Fire alarms and smoke detectors only let you know there is a fire at the last minute.  Situational awareness and a communication network will give you more advanced notice.

A fire respirator mask is a must for every prepper. A good one, not WWI surplus. [can double for radiation and chemical prep] A fire blanket, or two or three. And the already mentioned fire fighting equipment.

Fire resistant clothing, don't forget to look at racing wear. For those who rock bullet proof vests or plates, bet you don't have fire resistant jackets.

[Raptor]

I am a bit surprised (I guess I should not be) that there are still about ~800 people missing and the PTB are not doing more to confirm the count. They seem to be moving very slowly on the count.

This article says the missing have increased to ~ 1,100.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12435531/Maui-INCREASES-number-missing-people-1-100-following-Lahaina-firestorm-850-says-FBI-release-list-unaccounted-week.html

This in many ways mimics Katrina where there was reluctance to accept the fact that many people died.

I understand that ID'ing the dead can and should take a while to get it right. However, a list of missing people should not be that difficult to publish and edit as necessary.

[Anianna]

I wonder how many people they have there with the skills to identify and properly handle remains in the context of fire.  I saw that they have dogs on sight, but fire is one of the things that can mess with cadaver dogs' capabilities. 

[Raptor]

I wonder how many people they have there with the skills to identify and properly handle remains in the context of fire.  I saw that they have dogs on sight, but fire is one of the things that can mess with cadaver dogs' capabilities. 

Not to be ghoulish but there were also reports that the fires were so intense that only partial remains were recovered in some cases. This would certainly impact the "recovered" count and slow down the ID count. 

Still it should not impact the missing count. 

[Raptor]

https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-fires-timeline-maui-lahaina-road-block-c8522222f6de587bd14b2da0020c40e9

An interesting article that is also a difficult read:

Those Who Dodged the Barricades Survived

Many of the survivors are angry, and haunted by the thought that a just few minutes of notice could have saved many lives.
Baird's neighborhood near Lahainaluna Road was filled with kids who were home alone when the flames hit, he said.
"We needed like 10 more minutes, and we could have saved a lot of kids," he said, choking back tears. "If we'd just had like a 10- or 15-minute warning."
The family ventured out to a Kahului mall recently, looking for a moment of normalcy in the aftermath of the tragedy. They ran into a playmate of their son.
"The kids just don't have a filter. So their son ran up and was just telling our son, you know, 'This kid is dead. This kid is dead.' And it's like, all my son's friends that they come to our house every day," he said. "And their parents were at work, and they were home alone. And nobody had a warning. Nobody, nobody, nobody knew."

The closures block the only route out of Lahaina to the south. Two weeks later, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier says during a news conference that officers never stopped people from leaving Lahaina that day but did try to prevent them from driving over live power lines.