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☆ How a warming climate is setting the stage for fast-spreading, destructive wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

This fire adds to an ever-lengthening list of rapidly spreading, destructive wildfires in the US and elsewhere. To understand why the Texas fires have been so fierce you have to look to last spring, said Luke Kanclerz, a fire analyst at Texas A&M Forest Service. It only took a short period of warm, dry weather for them to dry out further, providing a carpet for the fire to spread. Yuki Iwamura/AFP/Getty ImagesScientists are still working to understand what impact, if any, global warming is having on the winds that whip up wildfires. Research has found climate change is fueling the rapid intensification of hurricanes, pushing storms to explode at a deadly pace.

Persons: it’s, Cpl Marc, Andre Leclerc, ”, John Abatzoglou, Luke Kanclerz, Kanclerz, Mike Flannigan, Abatzoglou, “ There’s, ” John Nielsen, Gammon, Yuki Iwamura, Dora, Kaitlyn Trudeau, Trudeau, ” CNN’s Rachel Ramirez Organizations: CNN, United, European Union, Canadian Forces, Reuters, University of California, ”, Texas, M, Service, Texas Panhandle, University of Alberta, Getty, Climate Central, The Locations: United States, Maui, California, Paradise, Canada, Greece, Chile, Mistissini, Quebec, Merced, Texas, Hawaii, West Texas, Gammon , Texas, Lahaina, AFP, Hawaii’s, The Texas, Plains

☆ Fires Are the Sum of Our Choices
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In early February, the deadliest South American wildfires in a century swept through Valparaiso, Chile, killing more than a hundred people. In the United States, mercifully little land burned — only 2.6 million acres, which was less than half the recent average. But in Canada, fires ate through more than twice as much forest as the country’s previous modern record, the total burn scar large enough that more than half the world’s countries could fit inside. In Greece, one fire forced the country’s largest-ever evacuation, and another became the largest fire in the history of the European Union. And in the United States, especially, you increasingly hear a somewhat contrarian explanation that emphasizes fire suppression rather than warming.

Persons: “, Stephen Pyne, Daniel Swain Organizations: European Union, Sydney Locations: Valparaiso, Chile, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii’s, United States, Canada, Greece, Australia, McMurray , Alberta, Hawaii, Boulder County, Colo

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Live updates from the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Taylor Swift reached LAX in her journey from Tokyo to the Super Bowl, online sleuths sayWill she make it in time? Read moreThree longtime friends have attended every Super Bowl — and don’t intend to stopAs long as they still have each other, they’re still going to go to every Super Bowl. Here’s why millions are excited for Super Bowl SundayMillions of Americans will find something to be excited about when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday. Four in 10 U.S. adults are extremely or very excited for at least one part of the Super Bowl day’s festivities.

Persons: Woo, “, Tony, Susan Chiosso, Tony Chiosso, Taylor Swift, they’ve, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk, Andy Reid, Purdy, Kyle Shanahan’s, Jimmy Garoppolo, they’re, Don Crisman of, Gregory Eaton of, Tom Henschel, Taylor, Swift, belting, Rhonda LeValdo, Bill Vinovich, Jennifer Anniston, Christopher Walken, Arnold Schwarzenneger, Jenna Ortega, Lionel Messi, Tom Brady, Judy ” Judy Sheindlin, Usher, That’s, Taylor Swift ., Trent Williams savors, Trent Williams, Williams, ___ Organizations: LAS VEGAS, Super, CBS, Nickelodeon, San Francisco 49ers, Area, Kansas City Chiefs, LAX, Intrepid, NFL, Chiefs, 49ers, San Francisco, Kansas City, KC, U.S, NASCAR, Reading Phillies, Super Bowl, Haskell Indian Nations University, Sunday’s, Rams, Saints, Sunday, Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, Fame, Pro, Kansas City ., Team, Lahainaluna, School Locations: Las Vegas, Allegiant, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Miami, Don Crisman of Maine, Gregory Eaton of Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania, Acoma Pueblo, Kansas City, U.S, Washington, Hawaii, Lahaina

☆ ‘My Everything — Gone in a Matter of Moments’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Kurtis Lee | Brendan George Ko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Twisted and charred aluminum mixed with shards of glass still lines the floor of the industrial warehouse where Victoria Martocci once operated her scuba diving business. After a wildfire tore through West Maui, all that remained of her 36-foot boat, the Extended Horizons II, were a pair of engines. “What will this island look like?” Ms. Martocci asked. Rebuilding the town, according to some estimates, will cost more than $5 billion and take several years. And tense divisions still remain over whether Lahaina, whose economy long relied almost entirely on tourism, should consider a new way forward.

Persons: Victoria Martocci, Martocci, Erik Stein, “ Locations: Victoria, West Maui, Lahaina

It's a story increasingly familiar in the energy industry: Some utility companies don't properly assess the risks wildfires pose to their operations. The primary purpose is to prevent power lines from igniting a wildfire during periods of high fire danger. The lawsuit also alleges the company "inexcusably kept their power lines energized during the forecasted high-fire danger conditions." A PG&E utility worker locates a gas main line in the rubble of a home burned down by wildfire in Paradise, California, Nov. 13, 2018. Several of those agencies track statewide wildfire information, but most did not keep track of the names of utility companies associated with wildfire incidents.

Persons: Michelle Glogovac, Glogovac, Laurie Allen, Brent Jones, Allen, Jones, inexcusably, Michael Wara, Shelee Kimura, Yuki Iwamura, David Pomerantz, Pomerantz, Patti Poppe, It's, JOSH EDELSON, Warren Buffett's, Stanford's, CNBC's Brian Sullivan, David Paul Morris, Institute's Pomerantz, Tama Organizations: CNBC, Electric, Energy, Stanford University, Hawaiian Electric, AFP, Getty, Policy, Policy Institute, NV Energy, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Bloomberg, Getty Images Locations: Paradise , California, Lahaina , Hawaii, Hawaii, Maui, Maui County, Lahaina, California, Nevada, Warren, — Arizona, California , Colorado, Hawaii , Montana , Nevada , New Mexico , Oregon , Utah, Washington, Arizona , New Mexico, Utah

☆ 9 Key Revelations in Maui’s First Review of the Lahaina Inferno
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Mike Baker | Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Six months after a firestorm destroyed the town of Lahaina, Hawaii, a detailed new report on the tragedy reveals that a large number of victims died along a single street — a stark indication of the ferocity of the blaze that swept through the historic island town, killing 100 people. The 98-page report from the Maui Police Department on the Aug. 8 disaster came after months of pressure to provide more information about the fire and the government’s response to it, which has been criticized for failing to adequately warn residents in time for them to evacuate. It provides a detailed timeline of a fire that started near a downed electrical line in the morning hours, then flared up in the afternoon and burned through the city for hours. As residents fled for their lives, many were unable to leave because key exit routes were blocked by downed power lines, trees and the raging fire itself. The fire claimed victims across a distance of more than two miles, and possibly over many hours, the report showed, including in neighborhoods that were already ablaze before evacuation alerts were issued.

Organizations: Maui Police Department Locations: Lahaina , Hawaii

☆ Wellness influencers fueled pandemic misinformation. Now they have another big conspiracy in their sights
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

As interest in the pandemic waned, experts say some wellness influencers have latched on to climate change to galvanize followers. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty ImagesCécile Simmons, a trained yoga teacher, was surprised when many of the wellness accounts she followed started posting about climate change. Some wellness influencers are exposing young audiences to a slew of climate misinformation. Climate misinformation is having “a profound impact” both on people’s beliefs and on the normalization of fringe perspectives, Caulfield said. It’s particularly worrying as it allows climate misinformation to reach new audiences, experts say, including young people that might otherwise be supportive of climate change action.

Persons: Instagram, influencer @truth_crunchy_mama, “, ” They’re, influencer @drmercola, Patrick T, Fallon, Cécile Simmons, ”, Simmons, Joseph Mercola, it’s, Stephanie Alice Baker, Halbert L, Dunn, Baker, Derek Beres, Marc, André Argentino, ” Beres, Callum Hood, Hood, they’re, Tim Caulfield, Spencer Platt, ” CCDH’s Hood, Caulfield, Mariah Wellman, ” Wellman, ” Caulfield, —, It’s, ” Simmons Organizations: CNN, Getty, Institute for Strategic, Global Wellness Institute, City University, Wellness, Center, University of Alberta, University of Illinois, Meta Locations: Hawaii, Lahaina , Hawaii, AFP, globalists, Chicago

☆ In 100 Victims of the Lahaina Fire, Legacies That Live On
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Anna Betts | Alex Lemonides | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Terri Thomas was a beloved aunt who loved outdoor adventures. Po’omaika’i Estores-Losano, a musician and father, was trying to rebuild his life. They were among the 100 known victims of the wildfire that tore through Lahaina on the island of Maui in Hawaii on Aug. 8. The identification of Ms. Coloma on Friday brought to a quiet close the somber task by authorities of identifying individuals believed to have died in the blaze. “Our hearts go out to the families, friends and community affected by this devastating event,” Maui officials said in the news release announcing the identification of the 100th fatality.

Persons: Terri Thomas, Po’omaika’i, Tony Takafua, Buddy Jantoc, Lydia Coloma, Coloma Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

☆ Fire Blanketed Lahaina in Toxic Debris. Where Can They Put It?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Mike Baker | Lisa L. Schell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When a firestorm consumed the Hawaii town of Lahaina last year, killing 100 people, it left behind a toxic wasteland of melted batteries, charred propane tanks, and miles of debris tainted by arsenic and lead. Crews have already removed some of the most hazardous items, shipping them out for disposal on the mainland. Now begins the even more formidable task of collecting hundreds of thousands of tons of additional debris and soil — enough to cover five football fields about five stories high. Even as excavators began filling dump trucks this month, the question of where it should all ultimately go remained unanswered. For now, the county has chosen a “temporary” dump site in Olowalu, a few miles south of Lahaina on the West Maui coastline.

Persons: Crews Locations: Hawaii, Lahaina, Olowalu, Maui

“The people of Maui have shown strength in the face of adversity," said Green, a Democrat. Green aims for all 5,000 to move into long-term housing by March 1 in part by encouraging owners of vacation rentals to make their units available to wildfire evacuees. More broadly and longer-term, Green proposed a two-year “tax amnesty” to encourage owners of vacation rentals around the state to sell to owner-occupants or long-term rental landlords. Democratic House leaders identified common priorities with the governor, particularly on affordable housing, mental health care and climate change. “We need to solve problems in our state, and we need to find solutions that are going to be workable,” Saiki said.

Persons: Josh Green, Keahi Ho, Koa Bonnell —, Dee Morikawa, ” Morikawa, Green, ”, ” Green, Kyle Yamashita, ” Yamashita, Scott Saiki, Saiki Organizations: —, Democrat, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Democratic, Finance Locations: HONOLULU, — Hawaii, Maui, Lahaina, Kauai, Niihau, Hawaii

Several callers reached out to 911 throughout the morning asking for wellness checks for relatives or friends they couldn’t reach. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesAnother caller at about 9:45 a.m. called to report that his wife was missing. In one case, a 911 caller reported that a family missing their 15-year-old son had been “ignored.”The operator answers were the same each time. Emergency responders weren’t able to help find missing people because they were still trying to get everyone to safety, still working hotspots and responding to fires. In one case, a 911 caller reported seeing flames and hotspots on their property and trying to put them out with a garden hose that was rapidly losing pressure.

Persons: didn't, —, “, ”, “ I’m, We’re, “ She's, “ I'm, ___ Boone, Lauer, Whitehurst, Corey Williams, Audrey McAvoy Organizations: Maui Police Department, Cell, Authorities, Associated Press Locations: Maui, Lahaina, Maui County, Kula, Kihei, Upcountry, ___, Boise , Idaho, Philadelphia, Washington, Detroit, Honolulu , Hawaii

West Maui's tight housing market, which is heavily populated by expensive vacation rentals, is one reason. Lawmakers said solutions to these problems are badly needed for Maui but would also help communities across the state. Fire mitigation would a top Senate priority, Senate President Ron Kouchi, a Democrat, said. Hashimoto said lawmakers know Lahaina Strong wants stable housing for the people of Lahaina. Last year lawmakers didn't increase funding for behavioral health care but she hopes they will this year.

Persons: Ron Kouchi, ” Kouchi, Scott Saiki, Saiki, “ It’s, ” Saiki, “, haven’t, Nadine Nakamura, Sen, Troy Hashimoto, “ We've, ” Hashimoto, ”, Jordan Ruidas, ” Ruidas, Hashimoto, Joy San Organizations: Wednesday, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, University of Hawaii, Democrat, Protesters, Capitol Locations: HONOLULU, Hawaii, Lahaina, Maui, West Maui, Honolulu, Oahu, Joy San Buenaventura

☆ 20 metro areas expected to see the fastest-appreciating real estate in 2024 and 5 most at risk of declining. Plus, what will happen to mortgage rates, according to a property data firm.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tight inventory, combined with pent-up demand, kept prices in an uptrend last year despite 23-year-high mortgage rates, according to Selma Hepp, CoreLogic's chief economist. AdvertisementCooling mortgage rates and newly built homes will help bring more houses on the market but won't create enough inventory to outpace demand, wrote Hepp. She isn't expecting much change to mortgage rates but said that they will likely be slightly higher from January to February, in line with historical trends that precede the busy spring sales season. If inflation remains tamed and trending downward, and the Federal Reserve begins cutting rates as a response, declining mortgage rates would follow, she added in an email to Business Insider. Metro area Forecasted YOY % change Redding CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 7.30% Santa Maria-Santa Barbara CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.81% Bremerton-Silverdale WA Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.51% Coeur d'Alene ID Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.49% Fairbanks AK Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.38% Santa Rosa CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.37% Corvallis OR Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.36% Merced CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.32% Bend-Redmond OR Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.29% Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.20% Grand Junction CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.09% Longview WA Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.07% Pocatello ID Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.00% Casper WY Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.99% Walla Walla WA Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.88% Lewiston ID-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.87% Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.81% Prescott AZ Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.70% Lakeland-Winter Haven FL Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.67% Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina HI Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.63%The list below is CoreLogic's forecast for the five metro areas that are at the highest risk of price declines.

Persons: —, Selma Hepp, it's, Hepp, isn't Organizations: Service, Business, Federal Reserve, Redding, Santa Barbara, Metropolitan, Silverdale WA Metropolitan, Coeur, Fairbanks AK Metropolitan Statistical, Santa, Corvallis, Longview, Longview WA Metropolitan, Casper, Casper WY Metropolitan, Walla Walla WA Metropolitan, Lewiston, Prescott, Prescott AZ Metropolitan, Lakeland Locations: Metro, Maria, Santa, Bremerton, Silverdale WA, Coeur d'Alene, Santa Rosa, Merced CA, Redmond, Vernon, Anacortes WA, Longview WA, Pocatello, Casper WY, Walla Walla WA, Santa Cruz, Watsonville CA, Prescott AZ, Haven, Lahaina HI

☆ The Monumental Task of Clearing Debris From the Lahaina Fire
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LAHAINA, Hawaii—Nearly six months after a wildfire incinerated Lahaina, cleanup crews this week are scheduled to begin clearing the charred rubble to make way for a near-total rebuild—a task that will be extraordinarily complicated due to the sensitive ecology and deep history of this former Hawaiian royal capital. Fire cleanups are often tricky, but prepping Lahaina for its next phase presents some extra challenges. It’s on a remote island with only one access highway. A temporary landfill had to be built to hold the debris. Everything from water and dump trucks to bins and dumpsters has had to be brought in from elsewhere.

Persons: It’s, dumpsters Locations: LAHAINA, Hawaii, Lahaina

Now, fighting and preventing wildfires and helping the island of Maui recover from the flames top the agenda as Hawaii's Legislature returns for a new session this week. The Senate majority said in a news release it was committed to forming a fire risk task force and seeking permanent funding for the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, which is a hub for wildfire prevention and mitigation. Josh Green, a Democrat, in December asked lawmakers to appropriate $425 million for the Maui cleanup and emergency housing, and millions more to reduce statewide wildfire risk. Nakamura said the Maui fires exacerbated a problem that existed long before: the proliferation of vacation rentals around the state. “If they can’t find an affordable rental and use their skills in Hawaii, then we all lose out,” she said.

Persons: ”, Nadine Nakamura, Nakamura, Josh Green, Colin Moore, Moore, “, ” Moore Organizations: Democrat, Democrats, of Land, Natural Resources, Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, Senate, Gov, University of Hawaii Locations: HONOLULU, Hawaii, Lahaina, Maui, Kula

☆ Asia’s year in review: Who had it good — and who had it bad — in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-22 | by ( Curtis Chin | Jose B. Collazo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

As 2023 comes to a close, we take a look at the year that was in Asia and the Pacific region. But who had it good and who had it bad in 2023? Bad year: China's property marketWith millions of Chinese citizens still waiting for homes they put down payments on — but might never be built — 2023 was a particularly bad year for China's property market. A newly built property is seen from the air in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province, China, Dec 15, 2023. Chinese families and individuals who once saw homes as more than somewhere to live but also as investments have reason to fear 2023 won't be the last bad year they face.

Persons: Curtis, Chin, Jose B, —, Vikram, Amit Dave, Narendra Modi, Taylor Swift, Kim Ji, Jennie, Kim Jennie, Roseanne Chae, Lisa, Lalisa, King Charles, Rose, Roseanne Park, Jisoo Kim, Jennie Kim, King Charles III, Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim Keon Hee, Victoria Jones, Blackpink, Michelle Yeoh, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, San Francisco —, China Evergrande, Moody's, Asia's Organizations: Asian Development Bank, RiverPeak Group, ISRO —, Indian Space Research, Orbiter, ISRO, Buckingham, Sustainable, COP26, Getty, YG Entertainment, APEC, U.S, International Monetary Fund Locations: U.S, Asia, Turkey, Syria, Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina, Pacific, India, Gujarat Science City, Ahmedabad, Korea, British, LONDON, ENGLAND, Glasgow, London, England, South Korea, Malaysian, New Zealand, Thailand, China, San Francisco, United States, Taiwan, South China, Country, Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province

☆ Airline investors have reason to grab the barf bag
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Dec 4 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Lately, when airlines suggest a thrilling deal, investors are left feeling queasy. Look at Alaska Air (ALK.N), whose shares cratered 15% on Monday after announcing the acquisition of struggling Hawaiian (HA.O). As happened when first Frontier (ULCC.O) and JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O) bid for Spirit Airlines (SAVE.N) in 2022, though, the buyer’s shareholders are balking. But it suggests that, by tying up, smaller airlines risk combining their woes. The deal comes as a lawsuit by the Department of Justice looking to block the merger of Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways heads to closing arguments on Dec. 5.

Persons: they’ll, trustbusters, nix, Pete Buttigieg doesn’t, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Reuters, Alaska Air, JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines, Department of Transportation, of Justice, Department of Justice, Thomson Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Alaska, Hawaii

More than 8,000 people, mostly Native Hawaiians, perished at Kalaupapa, including Damien, who eventually contracted leprosy, later called Hansen’s disease. Damien’s love for Kalaupapa’s people was unconditional, said Barbara Jean Wajda of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. “They keep me like this, make me strong.”She enjoys when people visit and when the church brings pilgrims, she said. The walls of the sisters' house, Kalaupapa’s largest dwelling, are filled with photos of the sisters who worked on the settlement after Marianne. “And we both feel connected to the patients, to the land, to the saints who were here, declared and undeclared,” Wajda said.

Persons: Saint Damien of Molokai, Kalaupapa’s, Damien’s, ”, Lance Toyofuku, ” Kalaupapa, Father Damien, Mother Marianne —, Alicia Damien Lau, Damien, Joseph De Veuster, Saint Marianne, Patrick Killilea, “ Fr, Paddy, “ It’s, Philomena, Barbara Jean Wajda, Francis, Lau, ” Marianne Cope, Marianne, Tonata Lolesio, ” Lolesio, “, Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva’s, Silva, didn’t, that’s, Wajda, Francis Church, she’s, Watanuki, ” Bishop Silva, ” Keani Rawlins, Fernandez, Mother Marianne, Marianne . Lau, Alicia, ” Wajda, ” They’ve Organizations: Toyota, National Park Service, St, Neumann, Sacred Hearts School, Honolulu Bishop, “, Associated Press, Maui County Council, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: KALAUPAPA, Hawaii, Kalaupapa, Molokai, Belgian, Hawaii’s, Honolulu, Belgium, Germany, Maui, Lahaina, American Samoa, Maui County

☆ Hawaiian Electric Refocuses Grid Plan on Wildfire Risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Dan Frosch | Katherine Blunt | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An October view of Lahaina, Hawaii, which was devastated in August by a wildfire. Photo: Getty ImagesHawaiian Electric said it wasn’t sufficiently focused on wildfire risk before August’s deadly blaze on Maui and proposed nearly tripling the money it would now spend on the effort. The utility, in regulatory filings this week, said it had been more concerned with hurricanes than with wildfire risk before the Aug. 8 fire that killed 100 people and leveled the town of Lahaina. The company said it now wants to revise a plan to improve its power grid to focus more on wildfires.

Locations: Lahaina , Hawaii, Maui, Lahaina

When Daniel Skousen scrubs at the ash and soot covering his Maui home, he worries about the smell. Crews have installed air quality monitors throughout town and are spraying a soil sealant to prevent toxic ash from being washed into the ocean or blowing around. The Hawaii Department of Health's Environmental Health Services Division also told Skousen's attorney it had no records about residential testing of contaminants to release. “If it smells like burned plastic or burned electrical cables, then probably those chemicals are in the air and not healthy,” Hertz-Picciotto said. Whether a home can be made safe enough for residency comes down in part to the resident's risk tolerance, Hayes said.

Persons: Daniel Skousen, ”, Bill Hayes, Hayes, Char, ” Hayes, Crews, Kellen Ashford, Shawn Hamamoto, ‘, ’ ”, Edward Neiger, ” Ashford, Andrew Shoemaker, it's, Shoemaker, Dioxins, Skousen, Irva Hertz, Davis, Picciotto, ” Hertz, He’s Organizations: Hawaii Department of Education, Environmental, Agency, Associated Press, Hawaii Department of Health, Hawaii Department of, Environmental Health, Health Department, U.S . Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, Lahaina Civic Center, World Health Organization, University of California, Hertz, Cooperative Institute for Research, Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Locations: Lahaina, Boulder County , Colorado, Maui, ” State, Skousen, “, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder

☆ For Some Maui Fire Victims, $1 Million Payments Are Too Little, Too Soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Dan Frosch | Christine Mai-Duc | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A public memorial honors the people who died in the Lahaina, Hawaii, wildfire this summer. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesAfter Kimberly Buen learned her elderly father was killed in the August fire that burned the historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina to the ground, she needed to know who was ultimately responsible. Buen diligently listened to news conferences about how the deadly fire sparked. She read about the highly flammable grasses that blanketed nearby property. Buen, who lives in Palmdale, Calif., also retained an attorney to prepare a wrongful-death lawsuit against Hawaiian Electric, Maui County, the state of Hawaii and Kamehameha Schools, a local landowner, who she said needed to be held accountable for their roles in the fire.

Persons: Mario Tama, Kimberly Buen, Buen Organizations: Hawaiian, Kamehameha Schools Locations: Lahaina, Hawaii, Palmdale, Calif, Maui County

☆ Some See Maui Fire Victim Fund as Too Little, Too Soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Dan Frosch | Christine Mai-Duc | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Mario Tama, Kimberly Buen, Buen Organizations: Hawaiian, Kamehameha Schools Locations: Lahaina, Hawaii, Palmdale, Calif, Maui County

☆ Maui fires: 100 days later, 4 names remain on the Lahaina missing list. These are the people trying to find them
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Alyssa Kraus | Mike Valerio | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Maui Police removed a fifth individual from the Lahaina fire missing list as recently as October. Officers tasked with finding missing persons from the inferno, or, the remains of Lahaina’s missing, are still searching the burn zone. Details concerning the three remaining people on the Lahaina fire credible missing list have not been previously reported. “Robert Owens, he was known to frequent Lahaina,” Landsiedel said. The officers within MINT carry a triple burden: coordinating Lahaina missing persons investigations, tracking identification efforts, and, ultimately, notifying family members of the dead.

Persons: Mario Tama, Lahaina’s, “, ”, Brad Taylor, Steven Landsiedel, ” Landsiedel, Lydia Coloma, Paul Kasprzycki, Robert Owens, Elmer Lee Stevens, “ Robert Owens, Landsiedel, ” Elmer Lee Stevens, Kasprzycki, Artur Babkov, CNN Babkov, Taylor, ” Taylor, I’m, Billy Graham, Steve, Tony Earles, it’s, ” Earles Organizations: CNN, NASA, Maui Police Department, Authorities, Maui Police, Maui –, Maui, Honolulu Civil, MINT, Honolulu Police Department, Billy, Billy Graham Rapid Locations: West Maui, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, Honolulu, Lahaina . Stevens, California, “, Paradise , California, Northern California, Paradise, West

“It was really beautiful native forest,” said JC Watson, the manager of the Koolau Mountains Watershed Partnership, which helps take care of the land. Hawaii’s native plants evolved without encountering regular fires and fire is not part of their natural life cycle. There are cultural losses when native forest burns. They'll devise a restoration plan that will include invasive species control and planting native species. “There has been a huge uptick in the last 10 years, largely in Waianae range, which is the western and drier portion of the island,” Gon said.

Persons: ”, JC Watson, “ It’s, ” Watson, Sam ’ Ohu Gon III, Kristen Oleyte, Velasco, Watson, Gon, “ It’ll, “ It's, — Organizations: Conservancy, Wildlife, U.S ., Fish, Wildlife Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Firefighters Locations: HONOLULU, Hawaii, Oahu, Lahaina, U.S, Honolulu, Central Oahu

☆ Water at Kealia pond in Hawaii has turned pink amid drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Angela Fritz | Abigail Holmes | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Water at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge, one of the few coastal salt marshes on the island of Maui, has been bright pink since at least October 30, officials say, after its salt content surged amid an extreme drought. While Kealia literally means “salt encrustation,” the pond’s salinity has skyrocketed well beyond normal because of Maui’s extreme drought. The entire island is in severe or worse drought, according to the US Drought Monitor. The area where the Kealia Pond refuge is located is in what’s considered an extreme drought – the second-worst on the Drought Monitor’s scale. @Traviskeahi_photo/InstagramThe Waikapu Stream, which brings water from the West Maui Mountains down into the Kealia Pond, also flows through the area of extreme drought.

Persons: Kealia Organizations: CNN, Wildlife, University of Hawaii, Fish and Wildlife Service, US Drought Monitor Locations: Hawaii, Maui, Salt, what’s, West Maui, Maui County, Lahaina

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