Maui

[Copper]

I found out last night that my cousin is vacationing in Lahaina. He and his wife and children are ok, and trying to get off the island so they can find their way home.

I have 30+ cousins, so there are plenty where he came from.

My understanding of what made this event so deadly was that the winds were unusually high and that caused the fire to move very quickly. And there were people who were trying to escape the flames by going into the ocean where they were overcome by smoke and heavy currents.

[Mik]

That’s true about the plantations. The fields have all reverted to grasslands.

There’s also suspicion of arson.

But Maui was beautiful when we were there in April. Very sad.

[George K]

Someone, please tell me there's more to this story.

[Copper]

[Horace]

@Copper said in Maui:

@George-K said in Maui:

more to this story.

Whenever a disaster inconveniences a certain number of people, the survivors become wards of the state and the president must make them whole.

What is the magic number? It isn't really a number, it's more like the volume level of the mob.

See Katrina, Sandy, wu-flu and 9/11

What about people that have disasters but don't reach the specified volume level?
Tough.

Exactly. If something bad happens to you, you need to hope it happens to lots of other people at the same time.

[Jolly]

Tornadoes.

Perfect example.

[taiwan_girl]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/owners-nearly-100-old-wooden-202123828.html

The Maui wildfires that burned down Lahaina shockingly spared a red-roofed wooden house.

A photo shows the buildings on all sides of the house were destroyed.

Yard work and ample space may have saved it, experts say, since those are the best ways to protect your home from wildfire.

The wildfires that struck Maui earlier this month devastated the historic town of Lahaina, reducing nearly every building to ashy rubble — but one wooden house in the center of it all survived unscathed.

Experts say this red-roofed home offers a crucial lesson in wildfire safety.

[89th]

Probably a white person lived there.

[George K]

[Copper]

Which came first, the nitwit or the dementia?

[George K]

@Copper said in Maui:

Which came first, the nitwit or the dementia?

Yes.

[LuFins Dad]

Turns out the culprit wasn’t climate change, but CLEAN ENERGY was at last partially responsible!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/2023/08/28/how-did-the-maui-fire-start-why-hawaii-s-power-lines-are-suspect/8ad1c7b4-45dd-11ee-b76b-0b6e5e92090d_story.html

[Mik]

How about that. It's pretty ridiculous to think climate change would impact Hawaii more than the ocean conditions.

[LuFins Dad]

@Mik said in Maui:

How about that. It's pretty ridiculous to think climate change would impact Hawaii more than the ocean conditions.

Even California’s wildfires are mostly caused by downed power lines…

[Copper]

Guggenheim Securities warned in a research note that given the size of the company — with a market capitalization of about $1.5 billion — and the possible liabilities if power lines started the fires, “it’s hard for us to imagine if the company will emerge from this tragic incident in its current form.”

I bet some Maui residents will still want to use electricity.