From the AP: In deadly Maui fires, many had no warning and no way out. Those who dodged barricades survived

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6 Responses

  1. Jaybird says:

    Personally, I think that whomever put up the barricades should be charged with something.Report

    • Philip H in reply to Jaybird says:

      Only if they were put up for the fire event. If they are due to road construction or a change in normal traffic patterns then its likely no one would have anticipated this. It is tragic, but it ay not be negligent much less criminal.Report

      • Jaybird in reply to Philip H says:

        From the article:

        The road closures — some because of the fire, some because of downed power lines — contributed to making historic Lahaina the site of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. But there were many problems that day, and in some ways the disaster began long before the fires started.

        Report

  2. Philip H says:

    Maximum lodging rate for feds in Hawaii right now is $354 per night. That’s all any hotel can charge any government traveler. If FEMA officials are paying more, they are doing so out of pocket.

    And that $700 is just a start:

    After you register with FEMA, you may be approved for a one-time immediate payment of $700 for Critical Needs Assistance, one of several types of federal assistance you may be eligible to receive.

    Critical Needs Assistance is typically approved quickly because it is meant to help with immediate needs like water, food, and fuel.

    Examples of other types of assistance include help with a temporary place to stay, funding home repairs, and emergency needs that insurance and other financial assistance sources may not cover.

    Maui residents can and will get way more.Report

  3. DensityDuck says:

    To be fair, the barricades were put up to stop people driving over downed power lines and through reported fire areas. It turned out that “driving over downed power lines and through reported fire areas” was the least-bad option but nobody recognized at the time how strong the fires were going to get and how quickly.Report

  4. Fish says:

    This reminds me of a secure facility I used to work in. Facilities had scheduled a fire drill and when the alarms went off, the electronic locks all engaged and trapped us inside the building. We were told the locks were programmed to engage to protect classified information.Report