Old Lahaina Town Utterly Destroyed - Recovery & Relief Efforts

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

The death toll in Lahaina as of Saturday morning August 12 is 80 people.  I read yesterday that recovery workers at that time had not yet entered any of the 1700 destroyed buildings.  

If you want to donate, donate what you can, don’t worry about what someone else is giving.  I’m sure survivors will be happier to get your contribution more than your commentary on what others have or have not contributed.

I lived on Maui in the ‘80’s & ‘90’s and visited Lahaina twice a week.  The town had a charm like no other place in the world. When I saw the photo of Front Street where it crossed over the ocean, buildings on one side, the Pacific on the other, cars burned out, lined up, backed up in both lanes, my heart sank.  There was nowhere to go.  Trapped.  You know what that means, I know what that means.  Smoke, fire, searing heat.

Please show some respect.

[Durian Fiend]

There will be no "Golden Jubilee" for the Maui fires.

50 years from now, there will be.

Gotta agree with Aaron on this one.  Jubilee implies a time of rejoicing.  Wrong word for the deadliest natural disaster in state history.

[HiloJulie]

89 souls now confirmed perished.

Stay strong Maui

[sistersue]

If the miles of tall, dry, brown grass where the sugarcane fields used to be in back of Lahaina had been kept bulldozed I don't think this unspeakable disaster would have happened. Or at least if there had been a big "firebreak" bulldozed.  My brother keeps the land on both sides of his house in CA bulldozed.

[TomK]

The death toll in Lahaina as of Saturday morning August 12 is 80 people.  I read yesterday that recovery workers at that time had not yet entered any of the 1700 destroyed buildings.  

If you want to donate, donate what you can, don’t worry about what someone else is giving.  I’m sure survivors will be happier to get your contribution more than your commentary on what others have or have not contributed.

I lived on Maui in the ‘80’s & ‘90’s and visited Lahaina twice a week.  The town had a charm like no other place in the world. When I saw the photo of Front Street where it crossed over the ocean, buildings on one side, the Pacific on the other, cars burned out, lined up, backed up in both lanes, my heart sank.  There was nowhere to go.  Trapped.  You know what that means, I know what that means.  Smoke, fire, searing heat.

Please show some respect.

Seconded.

[HiloJulie]

"Please show some respect."

The utmost respect.

My life has been music. 

Even though never behind an instrument, in front of a microphone or an audience, but on the legal copyright side that more or less is the equivalent of making sausage. You never want to see it being made, but it's delicious when you eat it.

Of all the versions and renditions of this song, to me, this one stands out as possibly the best.

At a time like this with what Maui is going through, I offer this in comfort.

[Or1on]

As of Sunday morning and the death toll over 80 and continuing to rise, I hear the cadaver dogs have only cleared 3% of the destruction zone.  Shocking.  That final number is going to be so much higher.  

 Also heard this is the deadliest fire in all of the United States in a long, long time.  Horror stories of the poor search and recovery crews that attempt to pick up the burned remains and they just fall apart.  You can't just erase that from your memory and dreams.  PTSD guaranteed for not just the survivors but cleanup crew too.
  
Helps you understand why it's such a slow process.  The dental recognition process and techniques are going to be strained to the max.

Memorial, yes.  Jubilee?!  Hell no.

[Rob Tucker]

I just don't understand the failure of the emergency sirens. Tragic failure.

[HiloJulie]

I just don't understand the failure of the emergency sirens.  Tragic failure.

Agreed. 

CNN has a post up about this siren issue. I knew Hawaii had a vast emergency alert system but never knew it was the largest in the world. 

I am not going to post the link however out of respect as the post contains stories of first hand survivors talking about losing loved ones in real time. 

Just use Google if you want to read it.

[HiloJulie]

There was a press conference yesterday where a reporter asked the Police Chief (who was the incident commander during the mass shooting event in Las Vegas several years back) as to why only 2 victims had been identified out of the then 89 (now 93) victims. 

The emotion in his voice of explaining the process as well as the anger towards the several hundred people walking through the remains says it all. 

And again I won’t post a link. Google it if you want to see it.