{"id":1997933,"date":"2023-08-11T14:29:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-11T18:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/worst-nightmare-maui-residents-caught-in-wildfires-before-official-alerts\/"},"modified":"2023-08-11T14:32:29","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T18:32:29","slug":"worst-nightmare-maui-residents-caught-in-wildfires-before-official-alerts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/worst-nightmare-maui-residents-caught-in-wildfires-before-official-alerts\/","title":{"rendered":"Maui locals trapped in wildfires without prior warnings."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fworst-nightmare-maui-residents-caught-in-wildfires-before-official-alerts%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1997933&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Residents in Maui Caught Off Guard by Devastating Wildfires<\/h2>\n<p>Several residents in Maui received no\u200b warning prior\u2064 to the\u200b wildfires that ravaged their neighborhoods and killed dozens of people.<\/p>\n<p>The destructive wildfires \u2064have, thus far, killed at least 55 people on \u2062the island of Maui, injuring dozens more. Officials have \u2063warned that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-to-show-lockdowns-are-killing-more-people-than-the-virus\/\" title=\"How To Show Lockdowns Are Killing More People Than The Virus\">death toll<\/a> could rise. Thousands of people have been displaced and at least 1,700 structures\u200c were razed by flames in\u2063 the town of Lahaina. With power and cell \u2062service down in western Maui, the\u200d exact number of how\u200c many people died or survived has been difficult to \u2063gauge.<\/p>\n<p>Amid the devastation, locals are complaining that they had little to no warning about\u200b the danger they\u200b were to face.\u2062 Many of them\u200c never even heard any warning sirens nor realized they were \u2064in danger when they saw the approaching flames.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/up-to-1000-people-missing-on-hawaiis-maui-island-as-fires-continue-to-blaze-5458736\">Up \u200bto 1,000 People Missing on Hawaii\u2019s \u200dMaui Island as Fires Continue to Blaze<\/a> (8\/11\/2023)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/ntd-good-morning-aug-11-death-toll-from-maui-wildfires-climbs-to-at-least-55-prosecutors-want-january-trump-election-trial-5458990\">NTD Good Morning (Aug. 11): Death Toll From Hawaii Wildfires Climbs to At Least 55;\u200b Prosecutors Want January Trump Election Trial<\/a> (8\/11\/2023)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/36-killed-in-hawaii-wildfires-5456240\">Hawaii Wildfires Death \u200cToll Rises to 55<\/a> (8\/10\/2023)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/biden-signs-disaster-declaration-for-hawaii-marks-anniversary-of-pact-act-5456924\">Biden Issues Major\u200b Disaster Declaration for Hawaii as Firefighting Efforts Continue<\/a> (8\/10\/2023)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Speaking to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/08\/10\/us\/lahaina-maui-fires-evacuation-orders.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The \u200bNew York Times<\/a>, \u2063Claire Kent, who works in Lahaina taking tourists out on a\u200b boat off the coast, said that she began to panic when she \u200csaw a cloud of black smoke and heard\u200b an explosion. A neighbor warned her to quickly run\u200b away.<\/p>\n<p>As she and her friends drove out of the town, Ms. Kent saw people running\u200b away,\u200c with some holding their children. Even then, she didn\u2019t receive any\u200c official notification for \u2062evacuation. \u201cThere weren\u2019t police officers with megaphones telling \u200cpeople you\u200c need to evacuate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While some residents received emergency \u2062evacuation alerts, others did not.<\/p>\n<p>In an <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2023\/08\/10\/us\/maui-wildfires-hurricane-dora-thursday\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">interview\u200c with CNN<\/a> on Thursday, May Wedelin-Lee, a 20-year resident\u2063 of Maui, recounted how \u200cshe was\u2064 at home when she saw the wildfires speeding up toward\u200d the community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt didn\u2019t take long: From\u2062 when the wind shifted until when we were like, \u2018We need to go,\u2019 it was maybe five, 10 \u2062minutes,\u201d she said. As Ms. Wedelin-Lee quickly got \u200binto her truck and raced away, she saw chaos erupt all around her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was just panic. People were crying on the side of the road and begging. People jumped in\u2062 each other\u2019s [cars], people had bicycles, people ran, people \u200bhad skateboards, people had cats under\u200c their \u200barms \u2026 just \u200bsprinting down the street.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe apocalypse was happening. It was \u200cthe worst nightmare. Imagine the worst you can picture, and it was 1,000 times worse than that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over 11,000 households were out of power in Hawaii as of 09:00 a.m. ET, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/poweroutage.us\/area\/state\/hawaii\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">poweroutage.us<\/a>. Much of Lahaina, a historic town in western Maui that\u200d was home\u2064 to around \u200c12,000 people,\u2062 has been wiped out. Emergency shelters\u200c and\u200c hospitals are being overwhelmed. Thousands\u2063 have been airlifted out of Maui.<\/p>\n<p>The exact cause of what\u2064 triggered the wildfires is yet \u200cto\u200d be determined.\u200c Experts largely \u2063put \u200bthe blame on\u2062 factors like dry vegetation, low humidity, and high winds \u2063that \u2062helped fan the flames.<\/p>\n<h2>Havoc \u200cin Hawaii<\/h2>\n<p>Hawaii emergency management records show no indication that warning sirens were \u200dtriggered before devastating fires\u200b spread death \u2062and destruction.<\/p>\n<p>Hawaii boasts \u200dwhat the state describes as\u200b the largest integrated\u2063 outdoor all<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/worst-nightmare-maui-residents-caught-in-wildfires-before-official-alerts\/\" title=\"Maui locals trapped in wildfires without prior warnings.\">-hazard public safety warning system<\/a> in \u200bthe world, with about 400 sirens positioned across the island chain \u2063to alert people to various natural disasters and other threats.<\/p>\n<p>Hawaii Emergency \u2062Management Agency \u200bspokesperson Adam Weintraub said that the \u200cdepartment\u2019s records don\u2019t show that Maui\u2019s warning sirens were triggered on Tuesday when the Lahaina fire began. Instead, the county used <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/canada-braces-for-possibly-historic-storm-in-hurricane-fiona\/\" title=\"Canada braces for possibly historic storm in Hurricane Fiona\">emergency alerts<\/a> sent to mobile phones, televisions, and radio stations, Mr. Weintraub said.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not clear \u2064if those \u200calerts were\u2064 sent before widespread power and cellular outages cut off \u2064most communication to Lahaina. Across the island, 911 landline and\u200b cellular service have failed at times.<\/p>\n<p>Maui Fire Department Chief Brad\u2064 Ventura said the fire moved so quickly \u2062from brush \u200dto neighborhoods that it was impossible to get \u2064messages to the emergency \u2062management agencies responsible for alerts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we experienced was such a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pictures-wildfires-scorch-colorado-burning-hundreds-of-homes-as-tens-of-thousands-evacuated\/\" title=\"Pictures: Wildfires Scorch Colorado Burning Hundreds of Homes as Tens of Thousands Evacuated\">fast-moving fire<\/a> through \u200bthe &#8230; initial neighborhood that caught\u200b fire they were basically\u200b self-evacuating with fairly little notice,\u201d Mr. Ventura said.<\/p>\n<p>Marlon \u200cVasquez, a 31-year-old cook from Guatemala who came to the United States in January 2022, said that when he \u2062heard fire alarms, it\u200d was already too\u200b late to flee in his car.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2062 opened the door, and the fire was almost \u2062on top of us,\u201d he said from an evacuation center at a gymnasium. \u201cWe ran and ran. We ran almost the whole night and into the next day, \u200dbecause the fire didn\u2019t stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Vasquez and his brother Mr. \u200dEduardo escaped via roads that were clogged with vehicles full of people. The smoke was so toxic that he\u200c vomited. He said he\u2019s not sure his roommates and neighbors made it to safety.<\/p>\n<p>Chelsey Vierra doesn\u2019t \u200cknow\u200d if her great-grandmother, Louise Abihai, managed to escape her senior \u200cliving facility, which witnesses saw erupt in flames.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe doesn\u2019t have a phone. She\u2019s 97\u2063 years \u2062old,\u201d Ms.\u2063 Vierra said. \u201cShe can walk. She is strong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Relatives are monitoring shelter lists and calling the <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>least 55 lives lost as destructive wildfires ravaged Maui neighborhoods. Residents received no prior warning, leaving them vulnerable. Dozens injured, with potential for more casualties. Thousands displaced, uncertain of their future. Officials fear death toll may increase. Urgent action needed to support affected communities and prevent further devastation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":1997934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1997933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1997933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1997934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1997933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1997933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1997933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}