Commissar SFLUFAN Posted August 23, 2023 Author Share Posted August 23, 2023 The number of unaccounted for has risen to over 1,000. Hawaii wildfires: More than 1,000 people reported missing in Maui weeks after blaze WWW.CNBC.COM Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said that law enforcement plans to release a verified list of people who are unaccounted for in the coming days. Quote Law enforcement officials in Maui are racing to locate more than 1,000 people who are reported as missing three weeks after catastrophic wildfires destroyed the town of Lahaina. The number of people unaccounted for is fluctuating daily as new reports of missing persons are filed and others are located, said Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill with the Federal Bureau of Investigation during a press conference late Tuesday. Maui County officials previously said 850 people were missing on Sunday. At least 115 people were confirmed dead in the fires as of Tuesday. Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said Tuesday that law enforcement plans to release a verified list of people who are unaccounted for in the coming days. The FBI is helping the Maui Police Department go through multiple lists of missing persons from different agencies to determine who is truly unaccounted for. Law enforcement has located 1,400 people so far out of an initial number of 2,500 people reported missing, Merrill said. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
best3444 Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 Ugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted August 24, 2023 Share Posted August 24, 2023 So are the fires still going? I guess I can google it. Edit: Seems they are, but are not posing a threat at this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spork3245 Posted August 24, 2023 Share Posted August 24, 2023 On 8/21/2023 at 4:14 PM, stepee said: sigh, my Dad is in on the space laser theory Could be worse (he’s being serious, I 100% assure you ): I’ve known this dude since high school, he was pretty left until around 2016-2017, now he’s full on conspiracy-theory alt-rightish. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted September 10, 2023 Author Share Posted September 10, 2023 A somewhat positive update: Number of missing after Maui wildfire drops to 66 WWW.NBCNEWS.COM The announcement comes on the one-month commemoration of the wildfire, which killed at least 115 people and displaced thousands more. Quote The number of people who remain unaccounted for following a catastrophic wildfire that destroyed the historic Maui town of Lahaina last month has dropped to 66, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said. The announcement comes on the one-month commemoration of the wildfire, which killed at least 115 people and displaced thousands more. Green said additional deaths could be announced in the coming months as Maui police continue to investigate dozens of fatalities. “Some people will hold out hope that their loved ones will be found,” he said, adding that the state will expand mental health services to survivors and the families of victims. So far, Maui police have released the names of 55 of the dead. Of these, 22 were in their 70s, with another 13 in their 60s. There was one listed victim under the age of 10. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted September 20, 2023 Author Share Posted September 20, 2023 Fighting ‘the beast’: Inside the desperate quest to save Lahaina WWW.NBCNEWS.COM As firefighters raced to hold back wind-whipped flames, they faced near-death escapes, blinding smoke, car-melting heat — and a battle they couldn’t win. Quote The brush fire was in a sloping field along Lahainaluna Road. She saw that the prior crew had gotten most of it out, leaving some spots of smoldering grass and smoke. The incoming firefighters picked up where the others left off, dousing the field with water and turning over dirt. The gusts remained fierce, surging over the fields and through neighborhoods. Power lines were toppling, trees were falling, homes were getting wrecked. Another truck out of the Lahaina station was responding to some of the calls, as was a crew from a nearby station, Kohler said. A larger brush fire was raging on the opposite side of the island, tying up crews from other stations an hour’s drive away. “I was watching houses, roofs, just getting torn apart, piece after piece after piece, just flying through the air and kind of just in awe,” Kohler recalled. Her handheld wind meter read 60 mph. “I was hearing that it’s only supposed to get stronger, and I’m like, how much stronger is it going to get?” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 12, 2023 Author Share Posted November 12, 2023 Revealed: Mistakes that blocked Maui wildfire escape routes WWW.BBC.COM A BBC investigation reveals confusion between officials as an inferno destroyed the town of Lahaina. Quote At least 99 people died when an inferno destroyed the town of Lahaina in the deadliest wildfire in modern US history. Through first-hand accounts, as well as police bodycam footage and recordings, a BBC investigation reveals why it was so hard to escape - and uncovers mistakes from authorities. By the time she saw the smoke, it was almost too late. The first thing U'i Kahue noticed was the wind battering her neighbourhood, ripping off roofs and felling trees. Then she saw the smoke, rolling in like a black cloud. In no time, the fire had become an inferno. She grabbed a hose, trying to stop her house from going up in flames. "That's ridiculous now that I say it out loud, but I'm trying to water the roof." A kumu - or teacher - of Hawaiian traditional crafts, U'i has a deep connection to Hawaii, where her family has lived for five generations, and in particular, the town of Lahaina. Located on the northwest coast of Maui, it had once been the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom before the island chain became a US State in 1959. And now it was burning to the ground. By the time the fire was put out, at least 99 people had died - some of them trapped in their cars trying to flee. With just two major roads providing an exit out - the Lahaina Bypass and the Honoapiʻilani Highway - there were few options for people to evacuate in the case of an emergency. When the fire reached the shoreline, some abandoned their cars, choosing to run to the only place the flames couldn't reach - the sea. But U'i didn't know any of what was to come that afternoon when the fire started in her neighbourhood. She just knew she had to get out. As she raced to her red minivan, three of her neighbours flagged her down: they couldn't find their car keys. "Get in," she said. U'i wanted to leave by the main highway out of town, taking the Lahainaluna Road. But when she eventually reached the intersection with the highway, the road was closed. Instead, police were directing cars to Front Street, which runs parallel to the shoreline and had become a "parking lot" of backed-up cars. With flames on either side of them, and black smoke swallowing the trail of headlights behind, she had little choice but to drive forward, one inch at a time. "I thought, 'Oh my god, we're not moving fast enough'," she recalled. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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