> GPS down?
> How is that possible?...............
imho ordinarily it would not be possible. however, the common end-user internet map download interfaces (google, mapquest, apple, etc) would not work if there is no internet. reports are that the cellular towers ceased functioning. the cellular towers supported cellular internet used for cell phones. the author probably was experiencing the cessation of cell phone internet data coverage. she may presume that GPS is down because she cannot run the GPS map interface on her cell phone, and not because GPS itself is down.
however, the GPS map feature on automobiles should work OK. Perhaps the question that could be asked is if her friend’s auto had a GPS map feature, and if so, whether or not that worked. If the auto GPS map feature did not work, that could be something different (and potentially much more ominous IMHO, although I would prefer to wait to see if more info on that is forthcoming before jumping to extreme conclusions).
the author seems to drawing the conclusion that nefarious powers are at work at lahaina. i not averse to conspiracies, but i am being gradually attracted to a different conclusion, that maui and other hawaiian islands have governments that are historically inept and corrupt. the result of the corruption is that inept bureaucrats are appointed to seemingly innocuous but in fact important positions, especially in areas that are typically sleepy in nature most of the time, such as emergency management.
Inept management occurred in 2018 in Kona with the fake missile alert as well as with the abundant mistakes in the lahaina fire. the responsible bureaucrats in the lahaina fire case seem so far not very good at covering their tracks, unlike what one might expect in a true conspiracy which imaginably would be designed and carried out in a manner that protected the responsible parties involved. for example, the top maui emergency administrator was ostensibly attending a boondoggle like conference on the day of the lahaina fire. we actually do not know yet if he was physically present at the conference presentations themselves, nor do we know if he was actually reachable during the conference, if anyone from his office or any other office tried to reach him, who if anyone else from his office attended the conference along with him, and so on. we do however know that his qualifications for the top emergency administrator job seemed to consist almost entirely of political connections, as also seemed to be the case for his deputy. he had held the job since 2017 during which his lack of competence went apparently unnoticed. the trend seems primed to continue since the guy was allowed to resign without apparently having answered any questions about his last two days in office which were during the emergency. In other words, the skids are pre-greased for another incompetent or corrupt bureaucrat to take his place, corrupt/incompetent politicians who supervise him seem to be on track to becoming insulated from any incipient scandal since he seems to be the primary designated human scapegoat, and corruption and mismanagement in maui government seems destined to continue as usual for at least the short term. By Ockham’s razor, then, the simplest explanation is usually the best, and this ineptitude seems to be the simplest, so perhaps it is the most likely to be correct in this case.
Aside: one can certainly draw parallels between other fires and the lahaina fire which on the surface seem to arouse suspicion of nefarious causes for the lahaina fire. however, this may ignore other parallels, such as the contention that both fires were caused by falling power lines that were not then turned off before starting brush fires. Again, Ockham’s Razor may help. If both fires had similar starting conditions, then similar results might be expected, without the need to resort to conspiracy theories.
This fire resulted from old infrastructure too.
Most areas prone to hurricane force winds no longer use wooden pressure treated utility poles. Even when you visit Cabo San Lucas, MX they now have concrete rebar reinforced power poles. Not wooden. If not the utility lines should be buried.
Obviously, these utility poles cost more than wood. So, the state of HI has to mandate in their contracts with the electric supplier that these need to be installed in the future.
“but i am being gradually attracted to a different conclusion, that maui and other hawaiian islands have governments that are historically inept and corrupt. the result of the corruption is that inept bureaucrats are appointed to seemingly innocuous but in fact important positions, especially in areas that are typically sleepy in nature most of the time, such as emergency management.”
That’s my thoughts in part. Bad management prior to and during the fire. Build up of fire fuel load, dry weather, high winds, power lines down, maybe a homeless person or two with a camp fire getting out of control ( maybe drunk and fire not attended late at night).
Many times a catastrophe is a series of cascading events leading to a climatic disaster, take out some of the events or factors and no disaster. No need for far fetched conspiracies.