Posted on 08/12/2023 6:35:39 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
[Breaking news update, published at 8:55 a.m. ET]
Maui County experienced $5.52 billion in “capital exposure,” which is the estimated cost to rebuild following damage by the Lahaina Fire, according to an updated damage assessment from the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) and FEMA on Saturday.
[Original story, last published at 7:39 a.m. ET]
Firefighters battling Maui’s ferocious wildfires that killed at least 80 people and leveled entire communities have made some progress in containing the blazes, while search and rescue crews continue efforts to recover more bodies Saturday as the death toll is expected to climb.
Officials do not know exactly how many people are still missing after wildfires earlier this week began eating through neighborhoods in western Maui, where one fire reduced much of the historic town of Lahaina to ashes.
The blazes, fanned by powerful winds from Hurricane Dora hundreds of miles offshore, have become the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii since statehood in 1959.
As of Friday evening local time, all three fires were still active after initial reports came Tuesday. And while there have been some improvements in containment, the risk of flare-ups remains.
People in Kaanapali were evacuating Friday night after spotting a fire in the neighborhood, which is about 4 miles north of hard-hit Lahaina, Maui police said. The fire was later 100% contained, according to county officials.
Of the three largest wildfires that crews have been combating, the deadly fire in Lahaina was 85% contained, Maui County officials said Friday afternoon, up from 80% reported the day before.
(Excerpt) Read more at channel3000.com ...
Former Hawaii Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard discusses the wildfires in Maui, the impact to the community, and the rescue and recovery efforts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jLZUC0u30A
From 2018. Check out how much the folks got after the Kilauea eruption...
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hawaii-volcano-relief-idUSKBN1JB09L
A lot of them were un- or underinsured.
First it will take decades to do permitting and environmental assessments.
And add in the Lawyer and Govt. fees.
As Inferno Grew, Lahaina’s Water System Collapsed
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/as-inferno-grew-lahainas-water-system-collapsed/
Oprah has been buying and handing out supplies at shelters.
https://apnews.com/article/live-updates-maui-fire-hawaii-wildfire-162a9fcdefe648d6bcd6557af70d894f
I believe that figure includes the insurance money.
However, if it does, the estimate is likely low, somewhat depending on whether the area affected actually rebuilds entirely. That often doesn’t happen, due to a wide variety of factors. New Orleans is a good example.
Even if we sold the whole thing, the reserve supply is a fairly insignificant $$ value compared to potential exports over time that could be driven by our gov’t actually encouraging production, in addition to the demand side from overseas, AND the benefits of abundant oil and gas inside our own economy while there is an energy shortfall or threat of one in Western countries and their allies. This is where the bonanza could, and should, lie. Selling the reserve for political gain is the act of a corrupt fool.
Problem is, with these type idiots in charge (Biden and crew), it’s very questionable whether that production (and the export sales) will ever reach anywhere near their potential. So to be honest, I have serious doubts, and, I think Mr. / Ms. USA-FRANCE, to give a fair assessment, should include that “leadership” (spit) factor.
Let’s find out what caused these fires before we start hitting up the taxpayers.
Back OT... ;-)
I saw this vid where a woman in Maui was on the phone with her sister, and her soon to be deceased sister was saying a neighbor was screaming that “fire was coming up from under the ground”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3oXksiF36A
I’ve of course heard of peat fires and such, so could there be more to this, in this situation, than just a case of panic?
Note / “warning”: The vid is NOT an easy watch / listen. :-(
Liberals: “It’s not eco-terrorism when our side does it.”
Which reminds me, I haven’t heard about a single 9-11 call, or a recording of a call. No water in the hydrants, no warnings, I guess these Democrats sure run a tip top government.
Yeah, one thing about (me) living in a region with multiple nasty threats is that the EMS planners are at least a little bit better on top of things. Sometimes a bit too much, perhaps, as with this morning where a small sliver of the other end of our county got included in a tornado warning and the sirens in our end of the county went off, even though the storm was well past us, and there never was any significant rotation, just a hint some might develop (again, occurring after the storm was well past us.)
It was actually pretty funny on TV, as the local TV met got surprised too, and he was having some trouble getting his act together, getting unexpectedly roused at 4 am, like the rest of us! :-)
I suggest a high potency energy drink by his cot.
OTOH, with our multitude of varied threats, which do include dangerous fires in dry periods, better education of the public still needs to be done. With respect to fires in particular, it seems to me the public in general really has no conception of what it means to be in front of a raging fire moving at 30-40 mph, much less the reported 60 mph of this fire in Lahaina. The dude in the vid I linked to above was trying to fight the fire with a garden hose(!), when he should have fleeing with his neighbor and his girlfriend to the nearby ocean. :-(
Until the pipe line is reopened and drilling starts back up the economy is flat footed all dots are connected to oil one way or another.
Biden and his utopians are in a dog chasing it’s tail deal a real president would know China in on a downward slope and now is the time to keep them there for a long time.
The U.S. economy has a long climb to get back to normal.
MAGA
Even if they do find who did this or what caused it (last I read they were blaming it on downed power lines), this turnip is tapped out!
The FEMA spokesperson said the amount listed was characterized as “capital exposed,” which the agency said “is not a measure of rebuilding costs.” The agency said it has not done any cost estimates yet because it is too early in the response and recovery stages.
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