Apart from Olympic level stupidity with regard to the authorities' response to the Lahaina fires, it appears that the post-fire actions by police and other officials in Hawaii and Canada have been more about control than assistance.
Not really. It’s the same reason you don’t let people into accident scenes, they can get hurt and can cause problems. It’s the same reason a firefighter isn’t allowed to run into a structure fire alone his first day on the job. It’s more than kinda dangerous.
Lahaina has insane levels of asbestos in their debris. You simply can’t let anyone into a highly contaminated area. To knowingly do so is criminal. And all these disasters have issues like that. I’ve seen skin slough off of animals recovered from flood waters. The contaminants will do the same to you.
I’ve seen many unauthorized people show up and get turned away. The smart ones set up outside the prohibited area or work with an agency or group that has access. The smart ones later work to gain authorization to enter.
There’s a wonderful woman from Paradise who lost everything in the Camp Fire who used the insurance money to purchase a food truck and trailer and serves the most fantastic BBQ to any and all free of charge at fires throughout California.
I personally was given a Subway sandwich someone gave to a deputy to distribute to those behind the lines where they couldn’t go. They had purchased dozens to give away. I cannot begin to tell you what that sandwich meant at that moment.
In addition to being a Cal Fire contractor, I belong to a handful of CART (Community Animal Response Team) and CERTs (Community Emergency Response Team) and I belong to two county emergency communications teams. To be part of these teams, I took several classes, earned my red card, achieved licenses, passed background checks, and am a sworn disaster service worker in 4 counties.
I understand how the command system works and where I fit in. You simply can’t have unaccounted people running around in these situations. Moreover, I go to the briefings and understand what is happening at these incidents. I know what freqs medical help is on. I know where the aid stations and hospitals are. I know what freqs air is on and what freqs corresponds to each branch. I’m able to monitor what’s going on and someone knows where I am. Simply wandering around someone could get themselves in a lot of trouble.
I have been to many incidents in many different capacities. There are many things that need to be done from dispatch, to public information, to accounting and record keeping. We need radio operators and computer savvy people. We need fund raisers and logistical support. Drivers licensed for various vehicles are needed. My point is a wide range of skill sets are needed and not everyone needs to go behind a fire line to have an impact.
Certifying those who may enter helps to filter out most of the yahoos that show up, and trust me, a lot of them show up. If someone goes into a disaster and doesn’t come out, who knows? Even if someone reports them missing, no one has any idea where they are.
It isn’t that they do not allow help, it’s that help needs to be managed to prevent complicating an already complicated, chaotic situation.
And for anyone who sees this response, I highly encourage everyone to look into becoming a CERT, CART, or any other sort of volunteer. For you veterans, there are several veteran based organizations that aid in these situations. You will be around fellow service members and do good things. Perhaps, eventually, you we can organize a Freeper disaster/emergency relief group.