August 8, 2023.
You probably picked up your phone and was bombarded by a series of articles: Maui on Fire! Fires Spread All Over Maui!…or something along those lines. However, after a few days or, if we’re being generous, a few weeks, it seemed that no one knew how the beloved island went up in flames and how this disaster became so deadly. As one of the most dangerous events in the island’s history, it prompts concerned people with many questions. “What was the evacuation plan put into place?” or “How did this start?”
It begins with knowing how it all happened. Local evacuations in Lahaina first took place on Aug 7, 2023, but were followed by a message saying that the flames were “100% contained.” We know now that this was very clearly not “100% true.” The next day Aug 8, 2023, around 80% of the town was unbelievably devastated. With the previous misleading message, it was unclear why more people weren’t aware of the situation. Many residents reported that strong winds got rid of communications systems way before the fires arrived.
We know now that the fires began on Tuesday, however, there was no specific warning of them beforehand. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued warnings for strong winds and dry weather that could fuel wildfires, but that warning ended up being canceled on Wednesday. Apart from a warning to avoid blocked roads, officials gave no further warnings for Lahaina until 16:45 local time. The county said “an apparent flare-up” of the fire had caused some evacuations. However, the fire progressed and engulfed parts of Lahaina, forcing some residents to flee into the sea.
Regardless, misinformation spreads like wildfire, or in this case, literally and metaphorically. In the end, civilians are the ones that lost their homes and most importantly, their lives.
