The Death Toll from Land Fires in Hawaii Increases to 67 People

On one side of the world, residents are struggling with land fires. On the other hand, residents face floods and droughts.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Korban Tewas akibat Kebakaran Lahan di Hawaii Jadi 67 Orang

AP PHOTO/RICK BOWMER

A motorcyclist looks at burning houses and buildings in Lahaina, Hawaii, Friday (11/8/2023). The local government is currently reviewing the early warning system which was deemed not functioning when the fire started, Tuesday (8/8/2023) afternoon.

HONOLULU, SATURDAY - The number of casualties from the fire in Maui continues to grow. As of Saturday (12/8/2023) morning Indonesian time or Friday (11/8/2023) local time, local authorities said the number of victims has increased to 67. The authorities said that the number of victims may continue to increase as rescue teams, assisted by search dogs, are continuing to scour around 1,000 burned buildings.

Residents of Maui who managed to save themselves when a severe fire occurred in the vicinity of their residential area reportedly began to return to their homes. However, they only found the rubble of the house they used to live in. Flames and smoke were still emanating from the rubble as they arrived.

"I cannot believe we survived," said a woman to several other women as they met and hugged amidst the ruins of their home."

Keith Todd, one of the residents interviewed by news agency AFP, did not believe that his house was still intact and his neighbor's house was untouched by the fire. The refrigerator was still running and producing ice. However, the surrounding environment was not safe.

Read also: Earth Boils, Disasters Everywhere

AP PHOTO/RICK BOWMER

A resident dismantles the debris of a burnt house in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Friday (11/8/2023).

Anthony La Puente, another resident, was shocked to see his house burnt down. "It's sad to no longer see the things we grew up with or the things we remember," he told AFP of the house he has lived in for 16 years.

The disaster started on Tuesday (8/8/2023) midnight when a fire was first reported in the town of Kula, which is 56 kilometers from Lahaina. Five hours later, according to residents, the electricity went out in Lahaina. According to information from the Kula government, the fire scorched hundreds of hectares of grassland. In Lahaina, the land fires that occurred at that time were isolated in a location of about 3 hectares and were successfully extinguished.

However, as the afternoon approached, the situation turned more terrifying. At 3:30 pm local time, according to Lahaina government information, the fire began to spread to several locations. Residents started to evacuate, including some hotel guests. They were asked to seek shelter. Shortly after, the fire had spread throughout the city.

Several witnesses said that they only obtained limited information about the situation that occurred and were eventually forced to evacuate, seeking a safe place. Some people had to jump into the Pacific Ocean to save themselves.

The evacuation of Lahaina is complicated by its geographical location adjacent to hills. Andrew Rumbach, a climate and community specialist at the Urban Institute in Washington, said that this condition makes the evacuation process more difficult. The former urban planning instructor at the University of Hawaii called the fire fast-moving in densely populated areas with difficult communication and not many good options for evacuation.

AFP/COUNTY OF MAUI/ZEKE KALUA

The photo obtained from the Maui government in Hawaii shows a land fire in Lahaina on August 9, 2023. The fire quickly escalated due to strong winds from the Dora storm.

Also read: Earth is Increasingly Inhospitable

Although residents are allowed to return today, the government has imposed a curfew from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. The government stated that this policy is implemented to protect the properties and residences of the residents from further damage. Todd stated that he will stay at his house because he is worried that looters will try to take what he has.

Currently, the local government is conducting a review to determine why there was insufficient information for residents to evacuate immediately. The government on the island has emergency sirens for early warnings, especially for natural disasters such as tsunamis and others. However, this system is considered ineffective when fires strike. "I authorize a comprehensive review to ensure we know exactly what happened and when," said Hawaii Governor Josh Green to CNN.

Green describes the many simultaneous challenges, with telecommunications down and firefighting personnel focused on other large forest fires when the biggest threat to Lahaina emerged. However, he said, "We will do everything we can to learn how to better protect residents in the future."

Maui Bradford Ventura, the Head of Maui Fire Department, said in a press conference on Thursday that the speed of the fire makes it "almost impossible" for front-line officers to communicate with emergency management officials who usually give short notice evacuation orders. "They basically evacuated themselves with little warning," he said, referring to the residents in the neighborhood where the fire initially broke out.

Floods and droughts

In another part of the world, residents are struggling with floods and droughts. China, known as the "Land of the Bamboo Curtain," is currently facing several disasters. In addition to the impact of Typhoon Doksuri, the Chinese government is also dealing with landslides and floods in the city of Xian, in northwest China. Doksuri has claimed the lives of 78 people, including 33 in Beijing.

The death toll from the flood and landslide is two people. However, local authorities are still searching for 16 missing residents due to the incident. State-owned television station, CCTV, reported that soil erosion in the Qinling Mountains in the province is expected to continue as heavy rain still persists.

AP PHOTO/ANDY WONG

A woman brought her two pet dogs after being rescued by a rescue team following floods that hit her residence in Zhuozhou, Hebei Province, China on Wednesday (2/8/2023).

Read also: Boiled Frog Syndrome

Meanwhile in Iraq, extreme temperatures have caused drought in several areas in the southern part of the country. The city of Basra, which is the meeting point of Iraq's main rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, has been the hardest-hit area after the river levels reached their lowest point in history.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, who has just visited Iraq, stated that the temperature of 50 degrees Celsius in Iraq is evidence that the global community is facing a time when the earth is getting hotter. "Standing under the blazing sun, the scorching heat, and inhaling air polluted by many gas emissions in the area, it is clear to me that the era of global warming has indeed begun," he said in Baghdad.

AP PHOTO/ANMAR KHALIL

A photo dated 19 November 2022 shows a man giving water to a number of buffaloes due to drought in Dhi Qar Province, Iraq. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, during his visit to Basra, Iraq in early August, mentioned that the drought in the southern region of Iraq is worsening with temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius.

Read also: World temperature is boiling, threatening life and food production

Turk visits Basra to get a closer look at the real situation of human rights enforcement. He received reports that many civil society activists and even journalists were facing legal demands for reporting on the climate crisis and pollution that impact the health and lives of people there. "Civil society actors spoke to me about chronic pollution in Basra and health problems caused by the community, including high rates of cancer and other serious diseases," Turk said.

The UN said that Iraq is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change in the world. (AP/AFP/REUTERS)