Investigations are still underway as to what happened in Lahaina, Maui, earlier this month, but everyday more information emerges about the likely factors that led to the deaths of what is expected to be hundreds of residents, including many children.
Some of the factors were known years or months in advance, such as the risk of nonnative grasses, while others were known days in advance of the fire, which so far as officially claimed at least 115 people, with search efforts still underway.
There were also some decisions made on the fatal day of August 8, as firefighters ran out of water and cars were blocked from escaping the town.
Here are some of the failures we know of to date:
1) Local Power Company Did Not Shut Off Power Before the Fires
Despite the National Weather Service issuing a Red Fire Warning by Monday, August 7 — the day before the fires broke out — the power on the island was never preemptively shut off.
A local news report warned on Monday: “Hawaii Island residents should secure outdoor items and avoid any outdoor activities that involve the use of fire or a fire ignition source. Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines.”
# 1 Failure > Democrat Ran State & Local Govt in Hawaii !!!!!