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☆ Report finds ‘no evidence’ Hawaii officials prepared for Maui wildfire that killed 102 despite warnings
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Honolulu (AP) — Investigators reviewing the emergency response to last year’s wildfire that killed 102 people on Maui said in a report released Friday they found “no evidence” Hawaii officials made preparations for it, despite days of warnings that critical fire weather was coming. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency didn’t immediately respond with comment. Maui fire commanders discussed the forecast, but “no evidence of pre-event preparedness plans by the MFD were produced,” the report said. Maui County and the state use private contractors to help fight fires with water tankers and heavy equipment. And despite the warnings, the heads of the county emergency management agency and the Maui Fire Department were off-island that day, attending conferences in Honolulu.

Persons: —, Anne Lopez, Maui’s, Richard Bissen, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency didn’t, weren’t, Firefighters, ” Derek Alkonis Organizations: — Investigators, National Weather Service, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Maui Fire Department, Maui Police, Hawaiian Electric Co, Firefighters, Fire Safety Research Institute, Maui Police Department Locations: Honolulu, Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina, State, Maui County, West Maui

HONOLULU (AP) — A wildfire that has burned forestlands in a remote mountainous area of Central Oahu has moved eastward and away from population centers, Hawaii authorities said Thursday, as firefighters continued to battle the blaze. The flames haven't threatened homes or property, and no evacuations have been ordered, but they have scorched some native koa and ohia trees. Nearly 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) have been burned so far by the blaze, which firefighters have been battling since Monday. Three Army helicopters were dropping water on the fire Thursday, and helicopters from the Honolulu Fire Department and the U.S. Political Cartoons View All 1233 ImagesHawaii's ecosystems evolved in the absence of frequent fires, and when native trees burn, they are often replaced by fire-prone invasive species.

Organizations: Honolulu Fire Department, Three Army, U.S . Fish, Wildlife Service, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Locations: HONOLULU, Central Oahu, Hawaii, Honolulu, U.S, Lahaina

☆ Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts for the third time this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island began to erupt on Sunday afternoon, with flows currently confined to the surrounding crater floor, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said on Sunday. Webcam images show fissures at the base of the volcano's crater that are generating lava flows on the surface of the crater floor. Lava flows on the Halema'uma'u crater floor alongside several active vent sources as the Kilauea volcano erupts in Hawaii, U.S. June 7, 2023. Located in a closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea is one of the world's most active volanoes. In 2019, a string of earthquakes and major eruption at Kilauea led to the destructions of hundreds of homes and businesses.

Persons: Valerie Volcovici, Costas Pitas, Michael Perry Organizations: U.S . Geological Survey, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: U.S, Hawaii, Kilauea

☆ Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts third time this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Lava flows on the Halema'uma'u crater floor alongside several active vent sources as the Kilauea volcano erupts in Hawaii, U.S. June 7, 2023. USGS/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island began to erupt on Sunday afternoon, with flows currently confined to the surrounding crater floor, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said on Sunday. Webcam images show fissures at the base of the volcano's crater that are generating lava flows on the surface of the crater floor. Located in a closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea is one of the world's most active volanoes. In 2019, a string of earthquakes and major eruption at Kilauea led to the destructions of hundreds of homes and businesses.

Persons: Valerie Volcovici, Costas Pitas, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Geological Survey, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Thomson Locations: Hawaii, U.S, Kilauea

CNN —Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano began erupting again after nearly three months of quiet, with glowing lava flows bursting within one of its craters Sunday, according to the US Geological Survey. The eruption started around 3:15 p.m. local time in Halemaʻumaʻu crater in Kilauea’s summit caldera at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, according to USGS. Kīlauea is the youngest and most active volcano on the island, with several summit eruptions since 2020. “The eruption was preceded by a period of strong seismicity and rapid uplift of the summit,” USGS said Sunday night. Sunday’s eruption at Kilauea serves as “a solemn reminder of the sacredness ingrained in this landscape,” Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park said on social media.

Persons: Pele Organizations: CNN, Geological Survey, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, National Park Service Locations: Halemaʻumaʻu, Hawaii

☆ Evacuation order lifted for West Maui
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency on Saturday briefly issued an evacuation order for West Maui due to brush fire. The order was in place for Anapuni Loop to West Mahipulu, the agency said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The order was subsequently lifted after firefighters stopped forward movement of the fire, the agency said in a follow-up post. Expect conditions that may make driving difficult and watch for public safety personnel operating in the area," the order said. Reporting by Jasper Ward, Editing by Nick Zieminski and Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: West Mahipulu, Jasper Ward, Nick Zieminski, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Hawaii, Maui, West, Lahaina

Emergency sirens on Maui, part of Hawaii's decades-old early warning system, never sounded. But authorities are finding existing emergency alert systems insufficient for these new threats - sometimes with deadly results. NEW CHALLENGESAcross much of the world, warning systems for natural disasters have not evolved in response to climate change, according to Schlegelmilch. While each locality faces a distinctive threat landscape and needs a unique warning system, disaster management experts see some solutions that can be applied everywhere. The county also acquired a warning system that can send alerts to cellphones, fixed phone lines, emails - and even fax machines.

Persons: Mike Blake, Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, Chris Gregg, Adam Weintraub, Bill Parker, Parker, Mike Chard, Chard, Laura Brewington, Julia Harte, Brad Brooks, Paul Thomasch, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Climate, East Tennessee State University, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, U.S . National Weather Service, Boulder Office, Disaster, Thomson Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, U.S, Canada, Vermont, United States, Columbia, Jackson , Mississippi, Colorado's, Boulder, Boulder . Boulder, Chard, Boulder County, Pacific

Those winds also battered power lines on the island, and dramatic videos show lines swaying and being toppled in the gusts. Now, some locals are casting blame on Hawaiian Electric, the state’s biggest utility, for not shutting off power to high-risk areas – and claiming that its power lines could have sparked the deadly fire. State officials were well aware of the danger posed by downed power lines during hurricanes. A 2021 state report noted that “downed power lines” and “residential and wildland fires” were hazards related to hurricanes. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said Thursday that power lines that were “still energized” had fallen on the roads.

Persons: Shane Treu, Treu, ” Treu, kindling, Lisa Treu, –, ”, “, Hurricane Dora, “ inexcusably, Jim Kelly, ” Kelly, Kelly, Richard Bissen, Yuri Iwamura, hydrants –, Cole Millington, Millington, Bradford Ventura, Adam Weintraub, ” Weintraub, Jill Tokuda, Keahi Ho, John Stufflebean, Josh Green, Anne Lopez, ” Green, “ It’s, Dora, Abby Frazier, Dora inched, Josh Stanbro Organizations: CNN, Hawaii Army National Guard, Hawaii National Guard, Reuters, Electric, National Weather Service, Hawaiian Electric Company, Public Utilities Commission, Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, Maui, Volunteers, Getty, Facebook, Bradford, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Democrat, New York Times, Maui County Department of Water Supply, Times, Government, Hawaii Gov, Clark University Locations: Mauna, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, County, California, Paradise, West Maui, Maalaea, AFP, “, Maui County, United States, Massachusetts

☆ Hawaii's emergency siren warning system was silent during Maui wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Ray Sanchez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Hawaii residents have long been accustomed to the monthly tests of the outdoor siren warning system. “Maui County faced a challenging, rapidly changing situation, and I think they did everything possible to save lives. Period.’Video Ad Feedback Video shows family's terrifying escape from Maui wildfires 01:18 - Source: CNNThe fire spread with such speed that many people left their homes immediately with little notice from authorities, Maui County Fire Chief Brad Ventura said. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources/AP Burnt boats sit in waters off of Lahaina, Hawaii, on Friday. Phonoxaylinkham, his wife, and their five children were caught in the Lahaina wildfires and survived by exiting their car and spending four hours in the ocean as the west Maui wildfires raged around them.

Persons: Cole Millington, ” Millington, ”, Millington, …, –, Adam Weintraub, ” Weintraub, Weintraub, “, Allen Vu, Vu, Anne Lopez, Jill Tokuda, Karl Kim, Brad Ventura, ” Ventura, John Pelletier, Josh Green, Clay Trauernicht, Wedelin, Lee, Matthew Thayer, Patrick Fallon, Justin Sullivan, Rick Bowmer, Mike Blake, Zoltan Balogh, Zeran Harris, Robert Gauthier, Mengshin Lin, Evelio Contreras, CNN Vixay Phonxaylinkham, Lana, Phonoxaylinkham, Marco Garcia, Claire Rush, Myrna Ah Hee, Sui, Ty O'Neil, Ku'u Kauanoe, ZUMA, Patrick T, Fallon, Dustin Johnson, Lane, ” Kim, Brock Long, ‘, Rachel Zimmerman Organizations: CNN, Lahaina, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, CNN Hawaii, National Disaster Preparedness Training Center, University of Hawaii, Maui County Fire, Maui County Police, Gov, Communication, National Weather Service, “, Maui Fire Department, Facebook, Firefighter, Fire Department, Maui News, AP Pacific Whale Foundation, Getty, Hawaii Department of Land, Natural Resources, Reuters, . Hawaii Department of Land, Los Angeles Times, AP, Washington Post, Kahului, Technologies, AP Hawaii Army National Guard, Hawaii National Guard, Reuters Residents, ZUMA Passengers, Federal Emergency Management Agency Locations: Lahaina . Millington, Maui, “, Hawaii, Lahaina, Millington, Maui County, Manoa, Honolulu, Olinda, Kula, Hanamu, Piʻiholo, Lahaina Bypass, Church, Lahaina Hongwanji, Lahaina , Hawaii, Maalaea, West Maui, AFP, Wailuku, Upcountry, Waiola, Kula , Hawaii, Kahului, California, Las Vegas, Kihei

None of the 80 warning sirens placed around Maui were activated by the island or the state’s emergency management agencies in response to the devastating Lahaina fire, a spokesman confirmed on Saturday. Hawaii boasts what it describes as the largest system of outdoor public safety warning sirens in the world, alarms that blare in cases of danger. Residents who survived the fire have wondered aloud why no one activated the sirens, which emit noises at a higher decibel level than a loud rock concert and can be heard from more than half a mile away. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency’s spokesman, Adam Weintraub, confirmed on Saturday that the sirens were not activated, and he stressed that the sirens alone would not have been a sign to evacuate, but for residents to seek more information. Mr. Weintraub said other alert systems were activated — including alerts that were sent to cellphones and through radio and television stations — but the power was out for much of the day in Lahaina on Tuesday, and many residents said they never got any warnings.

Persons: Adam Weintraub, Weintraub Organizations: Hawaii, decibel, Hawaii Emergency Management Locations: Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina

☆ The death toll rises to 80 in Maui wildfires as survivors begin returning to communities in ruins
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Maui residents John Rey Serrano and Lexie Lara look from a road above Lahaina Town in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 11, 2023. Maui County raised the number of confirmed deaths to 80 in a 9 p.m. statement Friday. Cadaver-sniffing dogs were deployed to search for the dead, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. said. Maui County's hazard mitigation plan updated in 2020 identified Lahaina and other West Maui communities as having frequent wildfires and several buildings at risk. The report also noted West Maui had the island's second-highest rate of households without a vehicle and the highest rate of non-English speakers.

Persons: John Rey Serrano, Lexie Lara, Anthony Garcia, Garcia, I'm, Josh Green, Green, Richard Bissen Jr, Anne Lopez, Lopez, Lynn Robinson, Kyle Scharnhorst, Gilles Gerling, Karen Clark, Bobby Lee, Andrew Whelton, Lana Vierra, Riley Curran, Curran, I've Organizations: roosters, Gov, Hawaii News, Associated Press, Iniki, Karen Clark & Company, Hawaii Firefighters Association, Purdue University Locations: Maui, Lahaina, Hawaii, Maui County, Kaanapali, West Maui, U.S, California, Paradise, Molokai, Kula

Hawaii Army National Guard CH47 Chinook helicopters perform aerial water bucket drops on the island of Maui to assist with fight of wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, August 9, 2023. An out-of-control wildfire that began along a major Central Maui highway burns Thursday July 11, 2019, in Maui, Hawaii. “Especially when you have severe drought conditions like we have.”Despite these growing dangers, Hawaii state budgets for fire management have not kept pace with worsening conditions, according to the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, a nonprofit. Hawaii is hardly unique: As climate change is exacerbating natural disasters, state officials across the country are also struggling to respond to new threats. And it’s unclear how significantly additional preparedness and mitigation efforts could have reduced the destruction of a blaze with the intensity and speed of the Lahaina wildfire.

Persons: Pamela Brown’s, ”, Hurricane Dora, didn’t, Clay Trauernicht, Matthew Thayer, Abby Frazier, ” Nani Barretto, Gov, Sylvia Luke, “, Josh Stanbro, Josh Green, Frazier, ” “ Organizations: CNN, Hawaii Army National Guard, Hawaii National Guard, University of Hawaii, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Maui News, Clark University, Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, ” Locations: Hawaii, ”, Maui, Lahaina, Maui County, Central Maui, Massachusetts

☆ Portable cell sites arrive in Maui to bring internet to residents and tourists
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Many cell towers have backup power generators but they have limited capacity to keep towers running. Cell service is down. Why cell phone service went downAlthough strong winds can sometimes threaten cell towers, most are strong enough to handle the worst that even a Category 5 hurricane can bring. “When the fires get too close to cell sites, they will obviously burn equipment, antennas, and feedlines,” said Glenn O’Donnell, VP of research at market research firm Forrester. Cell towers have backup technology built in, but this is typically done through optical fiber cables or microwave (wireless) links, according to Dimitris Mavrakis, senior researcher at ABI Research.

Persons: “, Gov, Sylvia Luke, ”, Glenn O’Donnell, Forrester, O’Donnell, Dimitris Mavrakis, ” Mavrakis, Hurricane Maria Organizations: New, New York CNN, Verizon, CNN, Maui Verizon, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Emergency, Center, Cells, Mobile, Wireless, ABI Research, Google Locations: New York, Maui, Maalaea, Lahaina, Northern, Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Hurricane

☆ Death toll from Maui fires rises to 53, governor says, and more than 1,000 structures have burned
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

More than 1,000 structures were destroyed by fires that were still burning, he said. The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames along Wainee Street on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. As she assessed the damage Thursday, she came upon a line of burned-out vehicles, some with charred bodies inside them. More than 270 structures have been damaged or destroyed, and dozens of people have been injured, including some critically. A charred boat lies in the scorched waterfront after wildfires fanned by the winds of a distant hurricane devastated Maui's city of Lahaina, Hawaii, U.S. August 9, 2023.

Persons: Josh Green, Matthew Thayer, Green, Tiffany Kidder, couldn't, Winn, Adam Weintraub, they'll, Weintraub, 60mph, Hurricane Dora, Bosco Bae, Bae, Marlon Vasquez, Vasquez, Eduardo, he's, Iiulia Yasso, Patrick T, Fallon, Hale Mahaolu, Louise Abihai, Vierra, Power, Dustin Johnson, Ed Sniffen, Thomas Smith, Mason Organizations: Associated Press, Maui News, Technologies, Getty, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Facebook, Kahului, AFP, Communications, Reuters Tourists, Hawaii Convention, London School of Economics, Political, Reuters Locations: Maui, Lahaina, Hawaii, Waiola, Lahaina Hongwanji, Lahaina , Hawaii, Banyan, California, Paradise, Maui County, Ankara, Turkiye, Hurricane, Guatemala, Kahului, U.S, Honolulu, Kihei, Maui's

☆ Kilauea volcano erupts on Hawaii's Big Island
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Mitchell Mccluskey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano began erupting on Wednesday morning, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported. Webcam imagery shows fissures at the base of Halemaʻumaʻu crater generating lava flows on the surface of the crater floor. The activity is confined to Halemaʻumaʻu and the hazards will be reassessed as the eruption progresses,” the HVO said. The eruption is currently confined within the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. The volcano had stopped erupting in December for the first time since September 2021.

Organizations: CNN, “, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Twitter Locations: Halemaʻumaʻu, Hawai’i, Hawaii

Hong Kong CNN —A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the South Pacific on Friday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, triggering a tsunami warning for nearby nations including Vanuatu, Fiji and Kiribati. The US National Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert for coasts located within 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of the epicenter which lay between Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Tsunami waves reaching up to 1 meter are possible along some coasts of Vanuatu, according to the US National Tsunami Warning Center, downgrading an earlier assessment that said waves could be 3 meters high. Smaller waves below 0.3 meters could be expected in Fiji, Kiribati and New Zealand’s remote Kermadec Islands, the warning center added. New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency tweeted that it is assessing whether the quake “poses any tsunami threat to New Zealand.”The quake was earlier reported to be at 7.7-magnitude but has since been revised up.

If a nuclear attack were headed toward the US, residents would have fewer than 30 minutes to prepare. Russian Presidential Press Service/APA nuclear attack remains highly unlikely, but it's not out of the question, experts say. Redlener said the best way to learn of an impending nuclear attack would probably be TV or radio. Survivors of a nuclear attack would have about 15 minutes before sandlike radioactive particles, known as nuclear fallout, reached the ground. A sign for a nuclear fallout shelter on a residential block in Brooklyn.

☆ The political and spiritual symbolism of Mauna Loa’s historic eruption
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

For many in the Native Hawaiian community, it carried a larger cultural and political symbolism and a message to respect Indigenous communities and land. Many Native Hawaiians are drawing from their mythology around Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire and creator of the islands, to help assign meaning to the historic eruption. “You don’t have authority to shape our sacred lands.”The eruption, Ing said, “is Pelehonuamea saying, ‘They’re right. And Pele’s lava flow, ho’omanawanui said, is associated with a cleansing that the Native Hawaiian community receives with gratitude rather than fear. So now Pele is coming in.”The symbolism around the eruption can also be applied to another lasting colonial force on the island: the tourism industry, Ing said.

☆ How to survive a nuclear bomb attack: Minute-by-minute steps to protect yourself
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Aria Bendix | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

If a nuclear bomb were headed toward the US, residents would have 30 minutes or less to shelter. Russian Presidential Press Service/APA nuclear attack remains highly unlikely, but it's not out of the question, experts say. Redlener said the best way to learn of an impending nuclear attack would probably be TV or radio. Survivors of a nuclear attack would have about 15 minutes before sandlike radioactive particles, known as nuclear fallout, reached the ground. The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends staying indoors for at least 24 hours after a nuclear explosion.

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