Consider This from NPR - Maui's Devastating Wildfires

Episode Date: August 10, 2023

Hawaii may be a tourist attraction to many Americans, but for over a million people, it's their home. And like any state in the US, it is not immune to the effects of climate change. This week brought a devastating reminder, as wildfires stoked by Hurricane Dora spread across the island of Maui. Dozens have been killed in the fires and thousands have been evacuated. Much of the historical town of Lahaina lies in ruins. Hawaii, like many other places on the planet, has experienced less rainfall in recent years, making it more prone to devastating wildfires that seemed unimaginable a generation ago. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [e-mail] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This message comes from Indiana University. Indiana University is committed to moving the world forward, working to tackle some of society's biggest challenges. Nine campuses, one purpose. Creating tomorrow, today. More at iu.edu. It was so sudden and so fast, everybody was caught off guard. And the winds were so rapid, it just blew through the town. It's an unnerving feeling to, you don't want to fall asleep because you never know what's going to, how that fire is going to progress. It was one block to the next block, the next block, and kind of just like a tidal wave of just like fire and smoke. Hawaii may be a tourist attraction

to many Americans, but for over a million people, like the three you just heard from, it's home. And like any state in the U.S., it's not immune to the effects of climate change. This week brought a devastating reminder

as wildfires stoked by Hurricane Dora spread across the island of Maui. So far, at least 36 people have died and thousands have been evacuated. Much of the historical town of Lahaina lies in ruins. My business, my home, my inventory, everything I own is gone. I'm lucky enough that my dog is alive, I'm alive, I have a vehicle, and I have a lot of friends accounted for with me, but I have a lot of friends who aren't accounted for. That is Cole Millington.

He owns Honolua Hot Sauce Company, which is based in Lahaina. And he says everything happened so fast for him. I just looked out my window and I saw a huge black plume of smoke pretty close to our house, and I said, hey guys, this looks pretty serious. Maybe we should grab some bags or, you know, get ready to leave. And within 15 minutes, we were sprinting into our cars, peeling out of the driveway, and the road was on fire. Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed, and many are still having trouble reaching their loved ones.

It's very, obviously, traumatic to see such a historic town, just to see it scorched and gray and still burning and smoke. And it was very apocalyptic. Dr. Reza Danish has been driving around in a medical van treating people who are still in Lahaina. And while he's been treating them, they've been sharing stories of survival. One guy that rescued himself said he felt the walls being hot and that he knew not to open his front door. So he propelled down three stories with a rope he had and just started running to the ocean.

The state's lieutenant governor told NPR it will take years to rebuild. Consider this. Hawaii, like many other places on the planet, has experienced less rainfall in recent years, making it more prone to devastating wildfires that seemed unimaginable a generation ago. From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang. It's Thursday, August 10th. This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things in other currencies. Send, spend, or receive money internationally, and always get the real-time mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees.

Download the WISE app today or visit WISE.com. T's and C's apply. This message comes from Indiana University. Indiana University is committed to moving the world forward, working to tackle some of society's biggest challenges. IU makes bold investments in the future of bioscience and cybersecurity, cultivates visionary work in the arts and humanities, and prepares students to become global citizens by teaching more languages than any other university in the country. Indiana University. Nine campuses. One purpose. Creating tomorrow today. More at IU.edu.

It's Consider This from NPR. People on the Hawaiian island of Maui are dealing with the devastation of major wildfires. Much of Lahaina, a historic city on the island that once served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, is now in ruins. Today, President Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Hawaii and ordered federal aid to areas affected by the wildfires. My colleague Juana Summers spoke with U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii about the disaster. This has been one of the most deadly wildfires in the United States in recent years. Buildings and communities have been destroyed, communities broken.

What is the latest that you've heard about the fire damage and devastation there? The assessment is only beginning now because you couldn't get access to Lahaina Town. And so really in the beginning phases, of course, we had to get the fires under control, which still is burning in some places. And then the search and rescue operations are continuing. Those are among the most highest priorities toward the safety of our people. But it's very devastating. And the national coverage of the wildfires of Maui, you can see the raging fires and anyone watching that would know that the damage is going to be very extensive. I'm grateful that the president

declared a disaster declaration for Maui so that federal resources can be brought to the island. You mentioned those ongoing fires and the fact that some parts of the island are still not able to be reached by rescuers safely. Do you have a sense of a timeline, how soon they'll be able to reach those areas to get a broader sense of just how much devastation there is, the death toll? That is happening right now. And as I said, because of the high winds, for example, you couldn't get helicopters in that area, etc. But the assessment is continuing. So when you have an entire town, Lahaina, very historic culturally, a very important town, pretty much burned to the ground. The assessment of damages will be tremendous.

And that is why it's all hands on deck for all of us in Hawaii, as well as with our federal family of agencies. We have heard so much about Lahaina over the last few days. It's in the center of Hawaii's history, beloved by so many. I want to ask you, is there any memory that you'd like to share with us about Lahaina? It is a very historic town. It's a Wailik town. At one time, it was the capital of our monarchy, so historically very significant to the Native Hawaiian people. It is a destination for tourists in itself, and I have been to Lahaina. I have stayed at the Pioneer Inn. And I think most of us have had that kind of an experience. It's really a very historic town. And it also had the oldest school west of the Rockies.

So really historic. And to see these historic buildings and churches burned to the ground is just very heartbreaking for all of us. And yes, our hearts go out to the people who lost loved ones in this ongoing tragedy. I mean, the images of the devastation are hard to look at, and our hearts are all going out to the people there. I think a lot of people watching this story, seeing those images from home, are curious how they can help. What do Hawaiians need most urgently in this moment? Aside from, of course, the state and the county and volunteers all very much helping people leave the island and setting up ways where they can transit to hotels on Oahu or back to the mainland.

All of those kinds of things are happening right now. But I have also been getting a lot of inquiries from people on the mainland, how they can help. They can go to mawikounty.gov, and that is a Maui County website that can direct people to monetary support, how people can help from all over the country in that way. And as far as Maui County, they have set up collection sites for people who want to donate goods, for example. But the outpouring of desire to help is tremendous. This is going to be a long-term recovery, though,

because the devastation is tremendous and it is deep. So the federal agencies who are here, such as the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, the EPA, Department of Agriculture, the Small Business Administration, the family of federal agencies are all here and they're going to stay here to provide the kind of support for recovery efforts, which will be concerted and it will take time. As we mentioned earlier, President Biden issued a major disaster declaration today, which means Hawaii should get more aid money. You mentioned the number of agencies that are on the ground or in some way providing assistance to folks there. Do you feel like you're getting

what you need from the federal government? Is what is being brought right now, is that enough? My hope and expectation is that this will be an ongoing support because the recovery will take time. And it's not a one shot, we'll give you this money and that's it. No, I have every intention of working with my delegation, with the leadership on Hawaii to make sure that the federal resources continue as long as they are necessary. That was U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono speaking with my colleague, Juana Summers. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.