At least 80 people died in the fires that ravaged the island of Maui, Hawaii, a high toll that drew criticism from authorities Saturday for dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in recent history, the American archipelago.
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Still shocked residents are just beginning to appreciate the extent of the damage in Lahaina, which was nearly completely destroyed by the blaze.
“It took everything, everything! It breaks my heart,” laments Anthony Garcia, 80, who settled in the city some thirty years ago. Around, the survivors stir the ashes, hoping to find photos or objects.
Almost nothing remains of the shops, hotels, buildings and restaurants that made up the charm of this seaside town of 13,000 people.
AFP
A majestic banyan tree, a tourist attraction, was destroyed by the flames but appears to have survived. It now stands alone amidst the ruins.
During this nightmare, locals could only count on the “coconut network” — word of mouth — a local resident, William Harry, laments to AFP.
In this desolate landscape, residents try to understand how the drama could have reached such proportions. Justice too: an investigation has been launched into how the authorities are handling the crisis.
Maui suffered numerous power outages during the crisis and the 911 emergency number stopped working in parts of the island, while fire alarm sirens did not activate.
The alerts, which are normally delivered by phone, could not be received because “there was no network” and “we obviously did not provide emergency solutions to keep residents safe,” Hawaii Democrat-elect Jill Tokuda admitted Saturday. on the CNN channel.
“We underestimated the danger and the speed of the fire,” she regretted. “We have to improve.”
AFP
With 80 fatalities, the fires that broke out earlier this week surpassed that of the 1960 tsunami that killed 61 on the island of Hawaii.
And the archipelago probably hasn’t finished counting its dead yet. According to the county, search and rescue teams, accompanied by dogs, arrived on Maui to search for possible bodies.
According to the federal agency in charge of natural disaster response (Fema), around 2,207 buildings, mostly residential, were destroyed or damaged.
The cost of rebuilding the Lahaina fire alone is estimated at $5.52 billion.
According to Jeremy Greenberg, a Fema official interviewed on MSNBC, the fire was “incredibly devastating.” “These types of fires can spread a distance the equivalent of an American football field in 20 seconds or less.”
Firefighters had to battle multiple simultaneous fires fueled by high winds fueled by the force of Hurricane Dora.
Given the rate at which the flames were spreading, Lahaina survivors had to flee without looking back, sometimes even throwing themselves into the sea to escape. The fire was “as fierce as hell,” says Ekolu Brayden Hoapili, who is moved “to have to leave many people behind.”
This disaster comes in the middle of a summer marked by a series of extreme weather events around the world, including an intense heatwave in the southern United States, phenomena experts say are linked to global warming.
They have spread all the more easily because Maui has had less rain than usual this year. The western part of the island, where Lahaina is located, is currently experiencing a “severe” to “moderate” drought, according to the US Drought Monitor.
AFP