Just wanted to share my thoughts as I process what's been happening in Maui. As I mentioned in the video, all of the ad revenue from this video will be donated to help the recovery efforts in Maui. Although I'm on Oahu, I, like many other locals from other parts of the state and the world, still feel a connection to those impacted on Maui.
@@terrymunoztrujillo483Some people can't accept things that happen outside of their expectations or experience, they create a narrative that is even more far-fetched as an explanation.
Coming from a person who has worked in Forestry as a Wildland firefighter in California........ Here's my question....... doesn't local government take relative humidity and fire danger tests every 8 hours? There has to be someone there that has to be responsible for Fire Danger levels and alert ⚠️ 📢 Another thing if the local government knew the vegetation was this dry Why wouldn't they start fuel breaks surrounding the city and throughout the city? This is completely baffling to an ex-Firefighter
I really appreciate perspectives like yours, it helps me learn to ask more questions for safety. I live in a fire-prone region and tracking this story (besides giving of my Prayers and $) is helping. Hopefully for me, informing me about what government agencies should be doing when environmental risks increase. Thanks again!
@tky2289 the city of Paradise California was overgrown with trees and vegetation as well, it's just baffling to me.... Look into fuel breaks and how to keep a clean perimeter around your land ...... Technically you keep the healthiest tree then clear 20 feet around it all the way down to the ground ...... then 300 feet clean radius around your house. In the 90's in California this was mandated and we could hand out fines to homeowners and landowners who didn't keep it up
The authorities apparently knew about the danger of fire being a highly likely occurrance...they announced it...and then boom it happened. But the sirens didn't go off to warn the peoples. Then the cell phones wouldn't work. The chaos and pandemonium, confusion and devastation occurred so rapidly. Dew you think there's something weird here? I heard from some locals on YT saying that the authorities are not reporting the correct death count yet. They say 93? I hear that needs to be multiplied by 4-5 times as of now. I'm on Oahu & can't find out everything. But I am so, so saddened by this - the people there who are suffering now need so much help. After the initial shock, they have to process all this. Can they?
dude....what planet are you on? 300ft clean radius around homes in California north of, say, SLO, and west of 5 in NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. in the entire bay area, it's totally impossible unless you live downtown. towns like Paradise, CA are literally "asking for it" when building towns into Sierra canyonlands. Paradise was simply a matter of time
I feel deep in my soul this was not nature. I. Very familiar w/maui, lived in kehie grew up in lahaina..This feels like a land grab to me.. Praying for all the locals in maui ♡
The 80mph winds, downed live power lines and ample brush are not the cause, you don’t think? Even though the locals showed the videos and described the start? You think an evil genius made the wind go 80mph?
@HelloFromHawaii I have a friend whose 20 min from lahiana. She was saying someone she knows who lost their home, already had a broker call to ask what they were doing w/their property. I really hope the maui locals can rebuild & dnt get ran outta their home for these elites / celebrities to come & make their all green cities. 😔
@merrywalsh2809 Possibly power lines but I do belive they manipulate the weather, they talk about it all the time, they even said it on the view, they do it to fix climate change.. and what are they blaming, climate change.. ironic.but why were the people not warned, hurricane winds missed the big island hit maui, no flooding just winds from a few hundred miles away ? Lahaina is prime real estate, beach front property in maui. Rich corps have been trying to build there for years but locals wouldn't budge.. Now it's all gone. My friend lives a few min from lahaina & brokers are already calling ppl who lost it all, asking if they wanna sell there land. Joe biden is sending more money to Ukraine & won't be going to maui, the world economic forum, the most powerful ppl in the world were saying in 2018 how they wanted to make maui a smart city ran by AI all green..way to many coincidences..To me it feels like this was a attack on Maui.. call me crazy ill take it lol but I question everything now a days..
I agree 100%! There needs to be an investigation into what time the fires started and three locations at the same time. Something just doesn't feel right. Questions need to answered.
Investigations are already being conducted by county, state and maybe federal, but regardless of the findings. Too much investigation while people are trying to find loved ones (alive or dead) is a delicate matter talking and getting in the way of residents. There are also concerns about unscrupulous people that might take advantage of the chaos to see what might remain for taking. There are lots of contributing factors on the fire, some major, some minor. Add to those multiple fires occurring simultaneously, first responders, no air support due to high winds, nighttime reignition, abundant dry former plantation land with invasive grasses, possible downed lines of power or communication, residential communities of families, elderly that could contribute to it spreading. Unknown power/communications, fast moving fire in high winds, dense residential community. Prioritize the needs of the injured, missing, settle in those displaced, establish threats of reignition is taken care of. Help those that need it. The information audit trail of that night is recorded, people will be intervened, video/cell will be preserved and found. People first.
After the initial shock of this tragedy fades, I hope ALL the citizens of Hawaii make it a point to keep their public officials accountable to get things done correctly. Growing up in Hawaii, I know how slow things get accomplished and the level of corruption and cronyism has always been an issue state-wide. Don't let the scam artist and price gougers who will exploit this disaster tarnish the Aloha spirit.
Yes!!! I live in Kona and have already reached out to our HOA about our emergency plan…I’ve never seen one! It’s important that we take our safety in our own hands and do the basic things to be prepared.
The public officials are sitting in the new or same economical opportunities positions, no matter what happens to everyone else, premeditatedly caused by them or not. That's how can see that much worse than Oligarchy, that can one day be subjected to the same general population effects, especially from derailments, wildfires or ANYTHING. Thank God for making me see this today.
Very interesting just to realize the thought process. I get it, it’s sad, what to think, how to think, what we could do on and on just as you said. I am sure we will be hearing on this for days to come and especially when people are ready to talk about what they went through. That’s what I would like to hear. So many questions, how and why. Did this Island have any kind of plan for disasters of some sort? Was there just not enough help as far as clearing the buildings or roads, houses up ahead? Too early to start blaming so right now is the shock of it all and helping the families of their lost. Great post, thanking you for sharing your thoughts. personally, I’m glad to hear my family is all OK and got to go back to there homes. ❤
Chris. I haven't even finished watching this (I'm at 4 minutes into it), but I'm compelled to comment here now - just by sharing this in your platform here, you are doing IMMENSELY valuable work. My immediate ohana (hanai son, his sister, their grandma) are in Maui (upcountry, at the Hawaiian Homes in Kula/Keokea). (I'm on the US mainland now.) They're all safe, thank God. But not so, for so many of their friends, cousins, and other family living in Lahaina... many of whom still have ohana missing and unaccounted for. It's an absolute trauma, and ongoing. Again: your sharing this here, with your reach on this platform, is IMPORTANT. What you're doing is pono. Please continue doing so, and being the compassionate, wonderful exemplar of aloha that you are, to the wider world of the internet out there. Mahalo nunui loa, bradded.
My daughter went missing in Maui County, Molokai. June 24 2021. She is presumed dead. The Maui County 1st responders and search teams searched for exhaustively. They used all their available resources and we were not even born there. I'm heartsick this happened to my heros in their community. I will def be making a donation on behalf of my missing daughter when it becomes clear the solid way to do so. Hawaii is special. Let's give Aloha back to the place that has been so giving to the whole world. Rip Lahania Rip Gianina Leilani Reid.
GOSH….I’m in tears listening & reading comments! I’m here on Maui, 1st what can you do when you’re not living here? BE KIND in words (comments) & stop pointing fingers at who did not do there job! That’s the number 1 feeling that makes the tragic situation more heart breaking! Just pray for us & don’t speculate if you not on Maui! At that moment of August 8 we had multiple fires on Maui from 8am. Kula, Lahaina, Kihei, Waikapū. Unfortunately we only have 1 road in & 1 road out on the island what you would call rural island. When you have when winds change to 80mile winds we know we have no chance bc we have no way out. Born & raised all these years it was a battle to put in infrastructure bc of island growth but when you have protesting all the time on every item that comes up, it puts a stop on everything. (I’m Hawaiian so ik how it works) People like myself & my Ohana always said if we have a disaster there’s no way out & as long as we live here you just accept it bc we say this is our island. If we have hurricane next week or a year from now, will still be in the same place today. Believe me don’t think government officials are heartless this is there families to that are gone or affected in some way to. It’s a small community we know everyone or we’re all related. 1st major fire so we don’t have instinct resources like California that have fires all the time. It’s our own family fighting the fires & we live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that we can’t pull other departments to help. So for me and my Ohana we’re safe we live in Waikapū but still looking for love ones in Lahaina. All we ask if you on Maui & want to make a difference but can’t give supplies or monetarily, we need extra hands at the War Memorial Gym site unloading & sorting. Supplies are in route to Lahaina from War Memorial hub & tomorrow we’re receiving 20 containers from Oahu. For the rest of you that are not on Maui, just say a nice prayer & keep positive vibes for us that’s all we ask & you can do. 😘🙏🤙
🦋 You know... I wanted to comment on some thoughts... now I just want to highlight what you said... Be kind... Everyone needs some time... Open space to listen to those who are going through all this, maybe it can help... .Let's be kind, and patient... Later we'll see how this goes.and then we'll see what to do... We'll keep going... 🦋🐝
True commentary. The winds traveling 80 mph is too fast for any human to avoid the fire. I wonder if everyone had insurance to provide funds to live again.
If people don’t hold officials accountable, this will happen again. The fact is they ARE responsible AS the government to keep residents safe. That’s just a fact. They can claim “no one saw this coming” but the fact is EVERYONE saw this coming, if you live on Maui you for sure saw the frequent fires in Lāhainā. Yet nothing was done. If you’re from Maui you for sure must be aware of the large scale water diversions that caused places like Lāhainā to transform from a lush landscape to a dry desert landscape… water that wasn’t restored after the plantations closed, but instead was allowed to be privatized by the plantation owners who transformed into the water company who kept all of OUR water and resold it to us. So are we just supposed to continue to allow this and await the next tragedy?!?! Keep our mouths shut and allow them to continue to steal from us?!?! Also, the LAW in Hawai’i says that water is and must remain a PUBLIC TRUST and Hawaiians specifically have native tenant rights to water. So how is the “state” allowing our resources to be privatized… think about that… and think about how firefighters literally RAN OUT OF. WATER while trying to fight to fires in Lāhainā & how that wouldn’t have been the case if we had our streams restored.
Living on Oahu, I feel so much sadness at how the people lost their lives and how they tried to save their family members and pets, but couldn’t. Yes, money can help them rebuild the material stuff but like you said, the mental anguish is what will take a long time to heal, if ever. Listening to the news about how people’s remains were found has affected me emotionally. Every day brings more sadness when the death total climbs. Even local news reporters have become emotional reporting these stories. We have to learn from this terrible experience so that it does not happen again. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this tragedy.
I live in Hana, Maui, on the other side of the island and mountains from Lahaina. It is so devastating as we all know people and have family there. My heart breaks for the tragedy they are going through and all the unanswered questions. There will be so much to do to recover their lives. Prayers to the area, it involved more than Lahaina. My sincere aloha, thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected in this horrific tragedy.
@jjemail5284we're currently on the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of our neighbors. You aren't here, please stop contributing to this damn negativity. Plenty of time later to investigate and point fingers. It happened, and all this bitching won't change anything. Help people heal or be silent while others do that.
@jjemail5284nobody owes you the attention you're seeking right now. Even if I told you the answers to your question, you wouldn't accept that because you've already made up your mind to blame without trying to understand. Leave us alone if negativity is all you have to offer.
I've only been on Maui twice in my life, but when I was there, the west side was jawdropping beautiful. Old Lahaina town was also such a charming area, touristy, but still charming. The loss to the local residents is incalculable. So sad.
As a former Hawaii resident living in Southern California, I never expected a tragedy of this magnitude to befall any of the islands. The stories of survival and deaths are just heart-wrenching. In fact, I had to force myself to limit my news intake. A choice the many living the nightmare do not have. In SoCal, my neighbors and I live with the reality that a wildfire fueled by Santa Ana winds could, at any time, take our homes and all the possessions within. Since my wife and I do not have children, facing that truth is made easier, so I made peace with that possibility a while ago. There are no subsequent generations, therefore no need for clinging to family heirlooms and pictures - a bit sad, but freeing too. I just hope that if I ever need to deal with a devastating fire or earthquake, that no one has gotten hurt. We can rebuild the house, and fill it with things over time, but lives are irreplaceable. To that end, whenever there is a fire within ten miles of home under windy conditions, I am watching the live news images and judging for myself whether evacuation is warranted or not. Unfortunately, the people of Hawaii may need to adopt this rather pessimistic approach in the future. I say "unfortunately", as I always felt the optimism of the local people was an important aspect that sets them (us) apart. In the past days, I have asked myself, "is there a right way to feel?". My cousins and I, who left Hawaii, have a made donations to the relief efforts. Though most of us grew up on Oahu, our connection to Maui is strong, as my father's side is from the Valley Isle. Growing up, my father always referred to his Maui as "God's Country". That has not changed. As with you, I have no conclusion to offer - just my thoughts at the moment. As always, thank you for sharing.
I am saddened by this tragedy. All that I can do is pray for these people that God would touch the heart of people who have to give of their resources and come together to help . We are our brothers keeper. Every little bit helps. This is truely love in action.
@@nxxbox-hh8gu was she alone or living with others? I have friends on the Island who might be able to keep an eye out for names on a list or something...
Living here on Maui, the worst part honestly is how the media is trying so hard to scapegoat our local officials. Plenty of time for needed criticism later. All this negative energy is distracting attention away from all the Aloha and support that my Maui ohana needs right now. Your wise and compassionate approach to this situation is noticed and appreciated. I live here in Kihei and have been volunteering with a well known disaster organization because I work in tourism and cannot work right now. I went for a walk last night on my favorite nearby beach. I'm used to seeing some locals and several tourists. But last night I see local kine people I don't know. They're Lahaina people who have been given a condo for their family. I spent a long time talk story with one man, and he opened up to me. These conversations are how I'm trying to help my Maui ohana to heal from this very traumatic event.
As a frequent visitor to Maui what do you think is the best way I could help the Lahaina situation specifically so Lahaina gets rebuilt but STAYS HAWAIIAN?
Thank you for this. I am on Oahu, and I don’t know the right way to help right now, too. I’m also having many of the thoughts you shared here, and I think there is so much value in having these conversations, or expressing thoughts, and having an open dialogue with perspective and understanding of others’ stories and views. Mahalo for you and everyone who has their hearts & minds aimed at Maui right now.
I’ve been watching you since day one because 40 years ago I decided to go to Hawaii for a vacation with my girlfriend. I know, yes donating is great but it is the love of each other and the need to get emotional support will be crucial for these people! I love Hawaii 🌺 but because it’s far like Puerto Rico I hope people still make this a number one priority! It can’t be out of site out of mind like Puerto Rico seemed to be. They are still struggling to this day! Why did it get to catastrophic? Why couldn’t anything be contained? why was there not enough warning? It’s mind boggling to me!
@@LilyGazou they was some of the first ones to go into the water, others said that when the fire got on the road by the ocean wall, that100 or more went into the water...
My heart breaks 💔 for the people of Lahaina especially for the loss of life. I'm glad you made a video to address this. I agree that money can only go so far. It takes a while for it to trickle down to the individuals and families that lost everything. I hope and pray they will be able to rebuild soon. 🙏
I'm hoping the locals get some of their businesses up and running again and are able to use the internet to boost their revenue. I'd defiantly buy products and donate to the cause of helping rebuild Lahaina FOR THE HAWAIIANS.
Thank you for sharing this. It’s only been 5 days. It is so much to process. I think of friends who grew up there or they have relatives on Maui, some who were there since the 1930s. It’s a lot to take in. I have had wonderful times in and around Lahaina. People will be processing grief in various expressions for quite a while. This will be something to be available for people effected, for years to come. Even simply being a kind, understanding, listening and friendly presence (online or in person) will be meaningful.
All my life I have felt drawn to Hawaii and knew I wanted to visit someday.... my husband and I finally planned our anniversary trip and are flying to Kauai in a few weeks.. then all this happened. It is devastating. We are still going because everyone is saying Kauai is safe to fly into (and I'm sure it is) but I'm really feeling the impact and want to be respectful and courteous to the locals while I'm there because I'm sure everyone in all of the Hawaiian islands are hurting right now. Thank you for this video.
I’m from Hawaii but but been in mainland for years and this still hits home for me. I appreciate that you acknowledge that they need long term support and your absolutely right maybe just sitting talking story maybe providing a meal or just hearing them out is probably the biggest gift of all. Money can go a long way but it’s not seen the same as emotional support ❤
It’s truly devastating. People not only lost their homes but their lives, family, friends, pets, livelihood etc. I’ve been praying for Maui and donating and staying up to date on what’s been happening from afar. I wish I were closer so I could do more.
As a Canadian who lives on an island and has visited Kapalua (close to Lahaina) 10 times I am devasted. My heart is broken for the people who live and work on the west side. I don't have appropriate words. My husband and I have shed tears. Lahaina had it's Front Street with shop, galleries and restaurants but locals lived around the town and they did not live in luxury. Many lived beyond simply. Sadly, the high winds created a perfect storm in carrying the flames down from the mountain. The same mountain was on fire when I was there last November. So much went wrong. As you state, the trauma will a huge chunk of recovery which will take years and years. May the Aloha spirit live on. Thoughts and prayers from Vancouver Island, Canada.
The map of the burn zone indicates the fire was mostly confined to the town of Lahaina with little outside dry vegetation involved. The fire definitely did not blow down from the mountains. It likely started on the east side of town due to downed power lines and blew west to the seawall in a matter of minutes in the high winds.
Aloha Nephew, Mahalo of your strength and compassion in taking up this tragedy. We can only do small things to help, at least relative to the magnitude of the trauma that has been visited upon our neighbors. The frustration in not being able to do more, or to give an answer, is shared by a great many human hearts. Kindness, compassion, respect and generosity are what we can offer to the victims of this profound tragedy. You have spoke eloquently to all of these responses. There is also the question of what we might do going forward. This tragedy was not unimaginable. The combination of fires and winds has appeared on our screens regularly. The fact that we are islands in this remote spot of the ocean increases the vulnerability, as does the results of numerous decisions and circumstances that have occurred for decades. The vulnerability remains and we are not prepared for it. We need to think differently as a community. There are numerous possible suggestions for decreasing the possibility of revisiting this tragedy and others. My hope is that we can learn from what has happened.
Your first line, that you were hesitant to post….I felt that. I was surprised when I didn’t see anything come up from you in the first few days. As you have such a unique and grounded perspective about HI. Prayers being sent!
The only suggestion I have about your want to interview is, you may want to check into trauma informed questioning. Both for them and for you. Trauma is something to understand, and do certain things and not others. But, that’s just my 2 cents to help (maybe).
[Aug 12, 2023 at 6:42 PM] This was just sent from an Oahu friend... Just reported from a whistleblower: What you're not hearing from our local government - I just got out of a meeting where I was informed by someone in the Mayors office about developments that are being kept from the public. I am not a conspiracy theorist and I don’t want to make trouble but here’s what I’ve heard. The amount of fatalities is expected to be more than 500 but less than 1000. Many of the fatalities will be children who were at home because they canceled school. Parents worked and were not there to evacuate the children. Kids had no idea they needed to leave and by the time they noticed their homes or apartments were on fire, it was too late. The government is worried about how we will react when we learn that the fire department left the fire earlier in the day and claimed it was 100% contained knowing that the winds were expected to be 70mph by the afternoon. This is against all fire control protocols. The fire department should not have left the original fire unattended. They are scared that the public calls for accountability will be more than they can control and protests and riots will occur. They plan to lock down Lahaina for several months. It will take months to clean up the hazardous and environmental contamination. They won’t have enough housing for All the displaced. There were 2,000 unaccounted for this morning. They have a list where they are trying to keep track. They found 700 today. But there are still 1300 missing. They are very worried that the community is going to freak out when they find out how not a single fire truck responded to the fires. The emergency sirens were not activated (hurricane sirens) and loss of life could have been kept down by better emergency management which utterly failed. I’m not trying to make waves or stir up problems but I was so angry and sad when I found out how many children are dead that I knew I had to post this and let everyone know what I have learned. It’s time for our officials to stand up, tell the truth, and face the music. They failed Lāhainā guys. Our government is full of incompetent nepotism. The fire chief is the son of the former fire chief. We need to hold officials accountable for the mistakes they made. Please don’t hate the messenger. I’m just relaying what I learned today. God bless Maui and Lahaina! Pray for all the victims.
Several people in and around the surrounding areas captured on there ring/cameras a big laser coming straight down, then a big fire explosion! Plasma/D.E.W.s ✈️☢️ Looks very much like January 13, 2018 Paradise, California
I think just getting supplies to them or funds. It's beyond unbelievable what happened. I can't believe it. I lived on Maui for years and it breaks my heart. Thank you for your thoughts.
I had a friend that was native Hawaiian pass away a couple of years ago. I adopted his two dogs that were headed to the pound after his death. Their names are Tufa and Nani. I was told Tufa, the male’s name means powerful and Nani, the girls name, means beautiful in the Native Hawaiian language. This describes them perfectly as it does the Hawaiian people. You will be in my thoughts until you are Tufa and Nani again. This will take a long time to heal from but you will find the power to restore your beautiful life.
@@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom no offense, something lost in translation. Maybe dialect. That is their names. my friend was from Maui and that is what I was told. His widow lives in Florida so I will ask her to clarify. He was old like me and left the island after joining the navy. I can’t imagine why he would lie to me.
@@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom I will talk to his wife later, she knows, I don’t want to be wrong and offend somebody. The spelling of their names is mine. I only heard them spoken. But, at the end of the day, the sentiment is the same. I have had a number of friends that were originally from Hawaii and they all seemed to have the same positive attitude and killer sense of humor. What has happened is a massive tragedy and platitudes from strangers don’t mean much but it is all I have to offer. 🙂
@@jayleeper1512 I’m not offended, just clarifying & I’m not accusing him (or you) of lying. Tufa is absolutely without a doubt not a Hawaiian word (Nani is and the definition is correct as well). It’s definitely not a dialect thing either, there isn’t really even different dialects anymore anyways aside from Ni’ihau but even their dialect is almost identical to the other islands and there’s no tufa in their dialect either and tufa isn’t even remotely close to how we say powerful in our language in either dialect. You originally said your friend is Hawaiian then later said you have a lot of friends from Hawai’i… I hope you understand that Hawaiian is an ethnicity and someone simply being from here doesn’t make them Hawaiian at all, only people who are lineal descendants of the aboriginal Polynesians are Hawaiian, no one else is. That would be like Caucasians living in America calling themselves Native Americans… they aren’t, it’s understood that Native American means the aboriginal people of America… same with here, Hawaiian only pertains to the aboriginal Polynesians. A lot of people lie and call themselves Hawaiian when they leave here even though they know damn well they aren’t Hawaiian and shouldn’t be saying that, especially Asians from here. So maybe that’s what’s going on, maybe your friends not Hawaiian at all and asked someone how to say “powerful” and someone said UFA which is a Samoan swear word which can mean “as*%ole” or “up your a*%” which we use frequently here in Hawai’i. We don’t like being asked how to say words or to give names because people feel entitled to our language and appropriate our language and names, and don’t respect that culturally only Hawaiians should have Hawaiian names except in very rare infrequent circumstances, so some people give fake names. That’s what it seems like happened to me anyways, because I’ve seen that happen quite a few times. Like when people get Asian script tattoos and they’re told it means “powerful” for example and they find out it really means something like “1/2 off noodles after midnight” or something lol.
I talked with my friends widow in Florida and she said that Tufa was not Hawaiian but it stood for masterpiece or gift but did not elaborate on which language it was from. Nani was a shortened form of Keikinani which actually stands for beautiful baby. This makes sense because my other Hawaiian friend referred to her husband as Kiki. My friends wife, who is a native Hawaiian from Honolulu said to tell you that she was a native and lost friends and family In Lahaina and that you should spread more Aloha and from now on, if you didn’t refer to me as Uncle Jay, you were disrespecting your heritage and your elders.
My prayers are with everyone who is affected and is in Maui. We’re all praying for you and your families. My family and I are from O’ahu born and raised there and worked in the Islands. I pray that our Ohana’s in Maui are okay. I’m sure that our local government and the federal governments will help you all, but it will take all of us here in California and elsewhere to try and help as much as possible to all the families and their love ones that were loss. Aloha
Teachers are a valuable resource when working to understand what people need. In spite of their own losses they will be back in classrooms at some point. Kids talk more freely than adults and many will talk to their teachers. As a teacher I have experienced this after several hurricanes on the Texas gulf coast. I appreciate your sensitivity to realize that social/emotional needs will be huge in this kind of devastation.
Thank you for your thoughtful post. You have expressed much of what I have been thinking and feeling. My heart aches for the community. I hope that all can rebuild. The housing situation there was already desperate. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Maui.
Aloha from Lahaina, Maui... I cried watching your video... Thank You for sharing this. I lost my house in the fire. I thank God that I didn't lose anyone in my family but I did lose friends in the fire. Being born and raised here in Lahaina makes this fire so devastating. Like you mentioned, all the memories of places and buildings and streets-all gone. I am a civilian employee for the Maui Police Department in Lahaina and I was working that night of the fire. Part of the reason why we couldn't get the word out about the fire was the power to majority of the town was out from the early morning. What started as a small fire grew. With the winds whipping around like it was, made it impossible for the firefighters to keep up with the flames. The winds in Lahaina, know as "KAUAULA" winds are something fierce. These winds changed direction so fast that it literally became so unpredictable that even firefighters were caught of guard. I sat by the radio in the station ALL NIGHT listening to officers scream and yell about which building was burning, who was running or where to go because the smoke was so black that it turned the sky DARK like midnight. The tremendous outpouring of LOVE from all over the world has been somewhat overwhelming. We have some great volunteers from FEMA, Red Cross, Samaritans Purse, Army Core of Engineers, Dept of Health helping the Lahaina People get their lives back together. Rebuilding Lahaina will take YEARS. Our infrastructure of my ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD will have to be rebuilt. All power poles burned, all sewer, water lines all have to be replaced. All roads and sidewalks need to be replaced. The fire was so hot that the cars that remained in our neighborhoods-part of them melted into puddles. The response from the outter islands have been AWESOME. The outpouring of ALOHA from around the state has been GREAT! But like you said, What's going to happen once the dust settles??? Will the people of Lahaina be yesterdays news??? Will the aid stop?? I hope not. I hope that the promises by President Biden, Governor Green are kept! We are looking at a MARATHON as Lahaina residents to get back our town. Not no speed race... All I can say, for my experience is "REMEMBER US". Remember LAHAINA... Thank You..
I am sure the fire itself won't spread from Maui to Oahu or any of the other islands, but the question is, The thing that started the fires on Maui, what's stopping that from occurring on other islands in the near future? What's the plan to prevent this from happening again in the state moving forward?
Upkeep with dry vegetation. And also more eyes looking out for arson. No way in hell this was caused by nature. They took advantage of the conditions and started this fire by human hands. Many more islands that have dead vegetation and crazy wind and you don’t see them burning up in the pacific, or the Caribbean Sea. Something smells fishy here and I’m thinking this was a way to remove family’s from their homes so that the land can be build into something else.
Thank you for sharing your heartfelt thoughts!!! My grandkids and their relatives live in Maui. Their relatives, friends, and the community have been so deeply affected.
Thank you for speaking your heart here and sharing your vulnerability around wanting to help but not knowing how. I like that you're thinking about practical things beyond money that can really make a difference in someone getting back on their feet. During and after the 2018 eruption therapists and all kine mental health pros came out and helped during the initial shock, and for months afterwards to process our trauma. I believe such folks are again rallying this very moment to do what they can to help fire victims find their bearings and grieve their losses.
This was a great video. You brought up some very good points. It is good to be introspective about this disaster. I appreciate your sensitivity to what has happened. Thank you for saying what a lot of people are thinking.
Thank you for creating space to share thoughts. Beyond the grief of families who will never be the same because of those missing, synd people dealing emtionally with trauma, especially including children, my thoughts turned to all the history, artifacts and documents, that are lost. I thought of Hokule'a, wondering if any of the crew members are from Maui, how horrible that separation would be. I'm on the continent, no connection except love of hula and Hawaiian culture, but it still leaves me breathless. Much aloha to all. 😥
I donated to several organizations. While my total donations are a drop in the bucket, I feel every little bit helps. Hope your video raises a lot of money. Fire can happen anywhere. Pray we don't have another huge fire.
My prayers and thoughts are with the families that lost everything in the fire and the people that lost their lives. This made me cry when I seen this.
What is scary is that the winds caused the fire to spread so quickly. If it happened on Maui it can happen on any island. And the hurricane was many miles away yet caused so much damage.
Oh but no one asking the right questions… such as was it arson? Who are the contractors lining up to build hotels and new business on top of the old single family homes….
Former Maui Resident here. Maui used to have a yearly (or more) prescribed burn because they still had the sugar cane industry at that time. They had beautiful green grass fields of cane when the cane was young. Then on the proper time and day they would burn those leafy grasses off leaving behind the cane that they would cart off to the processing factories. Now no more prescribed burns. I have wondered if something like this would be the result of no more prescribed burns. I say bring the sugar cane back! Much better to be ready for and used to the burns. This is devastating.
Growing sugar cane and then burning it caused massive damage to the island. It was toxic to the soil and the air. The land is not fertile now, and it is very difficult to grow any crops. There is a way to bring the soil back, but it takes years. Bringing back sugar cane is not the way out.
No. And in fact the imposed plantations are the reason for Lāhainā burning. The plantations diverted water out of Lāhainā (& many other towns on Maui) and into their plantations, leaving Lāhainā and much of Maui drought and wildfire prone. Then the state allowed the plantations to keep the water diverted and become the water company and sell us OUR own water back to us. Lāhainā used to be lush and famously known for its abundance of ‘ulu trees, they never had fires back then.
Hundreds of acres in the Central Valley and going upcountry have been planted with new crops by a group called Mahi Pono. It is citrus and coffee. I don’t know if they plan to plant on the west side too. I sure hope so. We need the irrigated land back.
Hands down one of the best videos I’ve watched in regards to Mauis Lahaina fires. Thank you so much for asking these questions, we need help. Let’s focus on recovering the bodies before the land… everyone has lost something. But we must start with the people that are still unaccounted. #LIVESOVERLAND. Thank you for your videos🙏
I’m from Maui. On Maui we are all born in Wailuku but my childhood was in Lāhainā until we moved to the other side. My preschool and elementary school was on Front St. I walked home from school down Front St. This is a very touching video. My ‘ohana are all accounted for. I am grateful and lucky. I think you should go back and just talk to them. Reach out. Talk story but give it time. Everyone is still traumatized, sad, in shock and angry. They’re all in survival mode yet somehow still have to go back to work… My cousins wife had to go to work at Marriott the next day. My sister who lost everything except her pets has to return to work soon. There are a lot of sad horrific stories but there are also heroic stories of kānaka māoli and Hawai’i locals fighting to keep what they could and coming together to get around federal red tape to get supplies from donations. I hope you are able to connect with them. It could help with the process of healing. Mahalo for such a thoughtful video.🤙🏼
Thank you for this. You are right, funds will help for immediate survival, but this will take years, maybe decades to adress, and most importantly at a human level to process and heal. Everyone who ever loved Lahaina, or Maui, for even a moment, has trauma over this. Lets be patient with ourselves for not having all the answers right away, while we take care of eachother, learn lessons.
Thank you for your compassion from your heart it comes through loud and clear your idea is great on giving surviors a place to possess there pain trauma 😊and your channel can be used so people of the world will never forget maui and its pain
All I know of the state is Maui. Hiked all over, visited friends, swimming on beaches all around.m, attended weddings. My friends’ houses are still standing and they have taken people in. If anyone has room to take in a person or a family or pets, there is a website set up for that. I can’t post links but you should be able to google it. I lost a place in a wildfire and it changes you forever. It was devastating in every way. And nothing ever feels like home now.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I feel the same and also trying to process all that has happened. My cousin and his family is safe, but has lost everything 😭. I'm grateful that they're alive, but where do we start to help them. Living in Las Vegas I feel helpless however I know there's the Hawaiian Community here that has set up locations for donations. I'm at a lost for words
As a fellow brother, I completely appreciate you sharing your thoughts and honest feelings. It's sad to see all the negativity in regards to this tragic event. Innocent people have died, been displaced etc...I'm glad you touched on the trauma that each person has gone thru as this will affect future generations. So I too hope that there is support available for all. I also hope people will heal, that Maui and Hawaii in general can rebuild, improvise systems and work together to get thru this. Thanks again for sharing 🤙🏾🙏🏾
I literally cried hearing the news. I moved from Oahu to Japan just a week ago. My family and friends lost their home but are physically alright. I donated money and my family on Oahu are using my old room to house my displaced grandmother and grandfather. It still doesn't feel like enough and I wish the state did more. It all feels like most of the work is being done by the communities on the Hawaiian islands, which is unfair because natives and locals should be taken care of by the state. But I love how much everyone I know from Hawai'i, near and far, are giving their support and spreading news of how to donate. Proud to be from Hawai'i in that way ❤ Maui, stay #mauistrong ❤️🩹
I live on Maui. I have been here 40:years. Some of my family have been here more than 100 years. I can tell you about the fire. The wind gusts to 80 mph were caused by a strong high pressure to the north and a hurricane 800 miles to the south that caused strong low pressure. In the middle was Hawaii and a ferocious wind shear from the two pressure systems colliding. No rain, just high winds. The winds screamed down the mountain, blew down dozens of telephone poles, trees and the cell towers on the dry west side. These blocked the roads, trapping the people. The live wires sparked fires. There was so much fuel and such high winds that a fast moving fireball incinerated the town. Brush, wooden houses, car gas tanks, gas stations exploded all over. Steel melted. Since communications were knocked out first, there was no way to warn the residents except if the cops would have used the loudspeakers on their cars, which I don’t think they did. My situation may be unique. I was in the process of selling one house and buying another. I signed the papers on the new house in Lahaina last week. I was putting my old house on the mountain up for sale in five days. I am not rich, but at this moment, I own two houses. Both were very close to separate fires. Both were in evacuation areas. One had a tree fall on it. The one in Lahaina (actually Kaanapali) the fire was stopped 400 yards away from it. I have been holding my breath for a week. But I dodged a bullet, and I am fortunate and I know it. My heart is broken for the people of Lahaina and Kula who have lost their loved ones, their homes, their pets. We will rebuild. We will learn how to better care for our communities.
Shouldn't their be some sort of crisis management procedures implemented for disaster like this? Did something happen in this incident that had never happened before, for it to be handled soo poorly?
Mahalo, for coming up on your CZcams channel and talk about the real issues. The emotional part is the most important section of this whole disaster story of Lahaina. This were exactly my feelings right after the wildfire, especially the personal story of each individual, which came out alive of this catastrophe. I am German born, visited Lahaina and Maui several times, and fell in love many years ago. In 2002, I immigrated from Germany to the US, and it was and still is an experience. The Hawaiian people are something special, in my opinion, and worth to pay attention to their culture. It is interesting, but I found out, that after I posted several articles and videos after the Lahaina disaster on youtube, just a few of my fb-friends even responded or gave their condolences and thoughts. Everybody was to concerned about their own lives, family and well being, and I was really shocked about this kind of disregard. I guess, human beings in general are pretty self-oriented and could care less about their neighbors. But this is what we became with civilization. I wanted to point this out foremost, because it shocked me deeply. I don't know, what else I should mention. For me it is the most important issue of our time, the century, we are living in. I could care less about the money, or what celebrities are donating. They just want to stay in the Media and become more influential. I hope, that some folks will think about the real meaning of human existence, but I quite frankly spoken have my doubts. Thank you, for reading and giving this article a thought.
I’ll keep watching. Hoping to gain some insight of those affected and those of us who are far away wishing there was something we could do besides donate a bit of money and move on. I’m a disabled woman living with her husband and dogs in Kansas…..watching……and wishing I could do anything to help. Maybe I can learn by watching…..learn what it is that the people on Maui need right now and need to be different in the future. What is the Hawaiian word for respect? I hope you post some more videos letting us know how things are moving forward?? Thank you for posting this.
Time to Take Hawaii Back! Don't Sell The Land! Camp on your property! Force the government out! Fish for Food! Distillation and rain water filters for drinking water! Don't let them have it without a fight!
This is giving a whole lot of perspective. The people have to process this and plus rearrange themselves. Yes. A hug , going out to eat and stuff can put small hole in the devastation, but it is a beginning on this type of path. Listening, support, etc. What is happening to some is happening to us all some type of way. Always out to learn.
Thank you…I was born in Hawaii…live there until age 8….have family that live on Maui (we’re blessed everyone is ok)…I’ve enjoyed your channel as it provides insights into living in Hawaii…the culture and aspects of daily life… that really helps to inform me and allows me to understand my family living there better…much appreciated your perspectives into life/living in Hawaii…Thank you ❤️🤙🏽
You explained it perfectly…as someone from Oahu but lives in the mainland I feel limited as what I can do to help. Maui was my get away from Oahu when I lived at home. My heart is so broken for Maui and our brothers and sisters there. My prayers are with them.
Our 2 children and 5 grand children That live there are safe but we have lost contact with Friends that live in Lahaina town. Plesae pray for all these people going through This tragedy. Much love and our hearts are with all of them. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I agree with the other commenter who suggested that rebuilding the tourism industry on Maui and in Lahaina * just as quickly as possible is crucial. Spend money in Maui! And that would definitely, perhaps especially, include inter-island tourism from the residents of the rest of Hawaii, since you guys are close by. For those of us who can’t get to Maui, if there is any possibility of buying from stores / businesses on Maui online, it would be worth considering. For example, I’m a big book buyer and collector, so if I could buy books about Hawaii from a bookstore / dealer on Maui, I would look at that. Another key factor here is that civically, we all have to insist on better disaster management, because these sorts of events are demonstrably increasing in frequency, and are not going away. Politics these days is so focused on culture war nonsense, not on life at ground level. * If San Francisco could be rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, if Chicago could be rebuilt after the 1871 fire, then Lahaina can be rebuilt; it’s a simpler proposition, and should not take years. Even replicas of the historic structures are possible. But the examples of San Francisco and Chicago should be kept in mind; the rebuilding has to be done to HIGHER STANDARDS and with BETTER MATERIALS, with new disaster protections as a key part of the overall scheme.
it's a horrible catch 22, obvious NO TOURISTS Should physically be visiting maui right now indefinitely, but HANA, Kihue the volcano and other parts of Maui not affected will soon begin to starve off tourist dollars. What's best is to first recover all the bodies and then clean up as fast as possible.
Born and raised in Oahu, Maui was just the magical place the Krispy Kreme donuts came from. Like you, I couldn’t point to Lahaina on a map. Never even been to ANY neighbor islands. I had to go back to the mainland for school right when the fires erupted.. and I feel so helpless from here and my heart hurts for all the lives lost. The waves of grief I feel daily and I’m not even directly affected.
Thank you so much Chris for sharing your thoughts on the situation. I know it must have been hard trying to plan out and film since there are just so many emotions going on
This disaster is really hard to process. You might appreciate watching the news conference from Wailuku that was held Saturday. You’ll find it on CZcams. It will help you be part of the solution instead of conjecturing what’s up as it is factual. Here in Kona we too wonder for the future and ours as well. We are all processing it…just like when the tsunami hit here. Malama pono.
Living on Oahu and watching this unfold has my entire family is traumatized. We have friends and family who are in Lahaina. My eldest daughter (age 38) couldn’t sleep last night because she’s afraid that it’s going to happen on Oahu. I’ve been up for the last few nights thinking about it myself. And the more I think about it the angrier I get… because I begin to over-think and ask questions like why did those 93+ people have to die such a horrific death? Where were the sirens? Are they using weather manipulation tactics for a land grab? Seriously… we need to question everything! 😢
I’m so glad you’re asking these questions. Love Kaneohe and Kailua (Hawai’i Loa grad). Love the Kama’ainas of Hawai’i. Wyland lost his Lahaina gallery and on his Instagram he’s posted the organizations that are helping. 🌺
Hey bro, I dont have time right now to finish your video (about 5 mins in).. i gotta go get in line to get a placard so we can travel from lahaina side freely for supplies and what not. I live in Honokwai right next to Lahaina.. I just wanted to say there are several locals IG accounts that are far more accurate than any other source of info. MeanHawaii i find to be the most helpful. Lots of valuable information for us over here kept up-to-date, and links to local for donations that will go to the ppl and not get held up in govt red tape. Mahalo nui loa for your channel ❤
Hello! This is a DEW! OWinfry&Bezo r interested in buying the island. They own properties there & are not consumed according to the alternative news which no one would ever hear in mainstream media & they want the island. We pray for God’s comfort & compassion for the people facing this difficult time in their lives.😢 Our living hope is in Christ❤ Pastors & Bible teachers to listen to: JD Farag pastor in Hawaii/ Gene Kim/ Robert Breaker
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts..I was born in Oahu but mostly raised in CA. I have many relatives on Maui, Oahu, and Kauai. It is sounding like so many things were mishandled. I am outraged at the ineptitude of so many government officials. I would think many locals and non-locals actually would be equally outraged.
Thanks for providing a place for people to share about this awful tragedy. I am reminded of a fire I lived through in Southern California. There was a fire several miles away from where I lived and I could see the smoke from my house. I watched the fire progress towards my neighborhood and got ready to leave if needed. A few blocks from my house was a RV storage parking lot. I started to hear explosions and only later understood it was the RV propane tanks blowing up. Those explosions were so loud and frightening I got my son and dog and high tailed it out as fast as I could. There were no police of firefighters in my neighborhood when this happened. Mandatory evacuations happened later and we were not able to return home. Not knowing if your house burned down is really unsettling. I’m so sorry for the people who have lost everything in Maui.
First off, all the residence of the state of Hawaii thank you for the global outpouring of Aloha and thought of love you are sending our way . . . we appreciate it! Now here's my dose of cold water. Not really based on blame, although the calls for accountability are going to come. What has been and is being done about all drought ridden communities? This was a recipe for disaster; drought ridden dry brush; high winds that downed power lines that may have initially sparked the fire and was the main contributor to spreading the fire rapidly; alarm warning systems that didn't operate when it was needed. We are still in hurricane season, with 3 1/2 months to go. And regrettably, it won't spare us from a strike just because a disaster just occurred. Even though the focus is on Lahaina, what is going to be done about all communities in a similar predicament. The Coco Palms Hotel on Kauai never reopened after Hurricane Iniki, and that was 30+ years ago; some things never recover . . . that's reality. Help the victims however you can right now . . . although the work in all of our communities has just begun. Time to start implementing preventive measures, because the next high wind storm or hurricane may be right on our horizon. I'm not blaming the government. Although statements and sentiments we all share of our hearts go out to the victims of this tragedy rings hollow if we don't implement changes going forward. The learned lessons need to be implemented immediately in all like communities.
At this moment, 'Greg' is starting to pass south of the islands, much along the track of Dora, but with reduced intensity. 'Fernanda' will follow, but on a more northerly tract. One that will take it into cooler water, so that may help to reduce it's strength. This may bring rain to the island chain next weekend. 'Hillary' is building after now in the east Pacific Ocean. It's track hasn't been established just yet.@@HelloFromHawaii
The local government, the power companies, the local weather forecasters and the local alert system all failed the residents. I hope they learned some important lessons and would be better prepared in the future
Doubtful. Remember when that incompetent siren worker scared Hawaiians into thinking that NKorea was going to strike? David Ige said “cmon man, give him a break” 😮
That is they key, remembeing them (Maui) once the new cycle is over. I know that Maui will recover. The locals will see to it. The word community is very strong in the Islands. All the stars can come and go but Hawaii will take care of Hawaii. I am sure that there will be someone that will be able to talk to those in need and the Red Cross will definietly be there for the long run to help where they can. I hope that the donations that come in will go to the right places so Maui can rebuild & recover. Great video as always. I'm sure a lot of people on the Island and on the Mainland feel the exact way you do.
After getting your prior video feedback on just how difficult it is to get supplies, arrange construction, and the long wait times under normal conditions, I was feeling really bad for the survivors impacted by this massive loss. There just is no quick fix apparent to handle the scope of the issue. The only "bright" side is at least the weather tends to be very reasonable and really no dangerous critters so setting up temporary housing with tents or whatever should be a little easier then in a harsh climate. I did send a donation but the distance and logistics makes one feel pretty helpless in providing aid. We can only hope the Federal government sets up in a meaningful way with delivering supplies, including construction materials. They may even be able to coordinate construction professionals and equipment to the island. Hopefully, the state government can fast track permits and site reviews so it does not take years to recover. Early to say what exactly went wrong with getting the word of the danger out, but it is clear the alert system could be better.
Maui, be careful letting investors or rich celebrities come in on Maui and still your land! This is why they caused the fire on purpose. This is what they do!
Mahalo for your reasoned, thoughtful and respectful way of discussing this almost incomprehensible tragedy for the families and communities of Lahaina, Maui and Hawaii. I just found your channel as I try and find more factual information about the fire and aftermath. I value the way you are thinking and talking about it. Like you, I hope to learn more about what has happened and how we can learn from it to prevent anything like this happening to other communities. I have two aunties and ohana on Maui, one lived in Lahaina and one up country. My heart is full of gratitude that they are alive and safe now, and that they are all together up country now. My heart goes to everyone who will now need to process, heal and find a way forward together. Aloha oe
I feel like no one is talking about the fire that just happened in Waikele area like a week ago, I think it was a brush fire. It's so crazy to be so close to Maui and be living our normal lives while people lost their lives over there. But in reality all of Hawaii is susceptible to these fires.
I think the best way to help is to contribute to organizations that are prepared to work at scale with the government, have the tools, processes and ability to purchase the materials that can contribute. Red Cross, Humane Society and Maui Mutual Aid are a good place to start. Prayers for the good people of Maui.
hello from Aotearoa (New Zealand) thinking of you all at this time with kindness, love and caring. Keep your story and thoughts coming about the fires, it’s valuable to hear, it’s genuine and thought provoking and refreshing compared to the mainstream media. invite the locals of Oahu to make contact an invite them to tell their story on your chanel. allow them to identify their needs and solutions, i image a priority of needs will eventuate that may find an on the ground community response, that may grow and connect, as has happened in NZ. Nga mihi aroha kia koutou.
You know the government wants the land. They are clearing out the beautiful areas, or the good financial, and farm land areas. Washington, Oregon, Louisiana, San Francisco...Hawaii is prime port and beautiful areas.
Sadly the sadness is now becoming a righteous kind of anger, and it's obvious now AFTER the fires that the sirens SHOULD HAVE GONE Off, and there SHOULD HAVE Been more of a warning. But this was literally a perfect storm of death, a "fire hurricane" in the EVENING when many were asleep or settled in. As we have ALL become dependent on cell phones it's obvious towers went down and phone alerts arrived way too late. Those sirens should have been BLARING from the moment the fires started down the hill towards Lahaina. This is a horrible tragedy that's only going to get worse as far as deaths. But the last thing we need, and what is happening now is the blame game, finger pointing and political conspiracy theories that both sides are using to promote their agendas when ALL the focus right now should be on searching for the chance of ANY survivors but more likely recovering all the bodies lost.
Praying is all I can do. Hawaii strong yes your leading the nation on just how you take care of your neighbors Family and friends. This is your heart spirt and native strength. We’re all watching and praying. Hawaii strong!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Nah bruh we’re all still processing and the mind goes in so many directions and goes in circles and waves of tears and waves of gratitude for being fortunate and definitely lots of helplessness and wanting so bad to help and definitely wanting to hug them all tight.
I realize many people have lost their loved ones or good friends my grandma lost much of her joy of life after she lost many elderly friends during the 1991 Hills Fire ❤
@@dominysynclair Hi thank you for replying yes l have a good friend who lost friends in Maui The 1991 Fire was in the Oakland Berkeley Hills and we were simply lucky our family home wasn’t lost
Just wanted to share my thoughts as I process what's been happening in Maui. As I mentioned in the video, all of the ad revenue from this video will be donated to help the recovery efforts in Maui. Although I'm on Oahu, I, like many other locals from other parts of the state and the world, still feel a connection to those impacted on Maui.
Ask yourself why the government didn't cloud s33d some rain to fight the fire?
@@ANSWER_KEYS please. stop with the conspiracy theories, just stop.
@@terrymunoztrujillo483Some people can't accept things that happen outside of their expectations or experience, they create a narrative that is even more far-fetched as an explanation.
@@pambp5978 exactly but the scary part is when a large part of society begins to actually believe these lies as truth.
@@terrymunoztrujillo483 you are right about that.. it's unbelievable what is suggested in comments.
Coming from a person who has worked in Forestry as a Wildland firefighter in California........
Here's my question....... doesn't local government take relative humidity and fire danger tests every 8 hours?
There has to be someone there that has to be responsible for Fire Danger levels and alert ⚠️ 📢
Another thing if the local government knew the vegetation was this dry Why wouldn't they start fuel breaks surrounding the city and throughout the city?
This is completely baffling to an ex-Firefighter
I really appreciate perspectives like yours, it helps me learn to ask more questions for safety. I live in a fire-prone region and tracking this story (besides giving of my Prayers and $) is helping. Hopefully for me, informing me about what government agencies should be doing when environmental risks increase. Thanks again!
@tky2289 the city of Paradise California was overgrown with trees and vegetation as well, it's just baffling to me....
Look into fuel breaks and how to keep a clean perimeter around your land ......
Technically you keep the healthiest tree then clear 20 feet around it all the way down to the ground ...... then 300 feet clean radius around your house.
In the 90's in California this was mandated and we could hand out fines to homeowners and landowners who didn't keep it up
The authorities apparently knew about the danger of fire being a highly likely occurrance...they announced it...and then boom it happened. But the sirens didn't go off to warn the peoples. Then the cell phones wouldn't work. The chaos and pandemonium, confusion and devastation occurred so rapidly. Dew you think there's something weird here? I heard from some locals on YT saying that the authorities are not reporting the correct death count yet. They say 93? I hear that needs to be multiplied by 4-5 times as of now. I'm on Oahu & can't find out everything. But I am so, so saddened by this - the people there who are suffering now need so much help. After the initial shock, they have to process all this. Can they?
dude....what planet are you on? 300ft clean radius around homes in California north of, say, SLO, and west of 5 in NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. in the entire bay area, it's totally impossible unless you live downtown.
towns like Paradise, CA are literally "asking for it" when building towns into Sierra canyonlands. Paradise was simply a matter of time
Exactly!!!! This was deliberate in my opinion
I feel deep in my soul this was not nature. I. Very familiar w/maui, lived in kehie grew up in lahaina..This feels like a land grab to me.. Praying for all the locals in maui ♡
Smart lady
The 80mph winds, downed live power lines and ample brush are not the cause, you don’t think? Even though the locals showed the videos and described the start? You think an evil genius made the wind go 80mph?
I'm looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds.
@HelloFromHawaii I have a friend whose 20 min from lahiana. She was saying someone she knows who lost their home, already had a broker call to ask what they were doing w/their property. I really hope the maui locals can rebuild & dnt get ran outta their home for these elites / celebrities to come & make their all green cities. 😔
@merrywalsh2809 Possibly power lines but I do belive they manipulate the weather, they talk about it all the time, they even said it on the view, they do it to fix climate change.. and what are they blaming, climate change.. ironic.but why were the people not warned, hurricane winds missed the big island hit maui, no flooding just winds from a few hundred miles away ? Lahaina is prime real estate, beach front property in maui. Rich corps have been trying to build there for years but locals wouldn't budge.. Now it's all gone. My friend lives a few min from lahaina & brokers are already calling ppl who lost it all, asking if they wanna sell there land. Joe biden is sending more money to Ukraine & won't be going to maui, the world economic forum, the most powerful ppl in the world were saying in 2018 how they wanted to make maui a smart city ran by AI all green..way to many coincidences..To me it feels like this was a attack on Maui.. call me crazy ill take it lol but I question everything now a days..
I agree 100%! There needs to be an investigation into what time the fires started and three locations at the same time. Something just doesn't feel right. Questions need to answered.
It was planned
Investigations are already being conducted by county, state and maybe federal, but regardless of the findings. Too much investigation while people are trying to find loved ones (alive or dead) is a delicate matter talking and getting in the way of residents. There are also concerns about unscrupulous people that might take advantage of the chaos to see what might remain for taking. There are lots of contributing factors on the fire, some major, some minor. Add to those multiple fires occurring simultaneously, first responders, no air support due to high winds, nighttime reignition, abundant dry former plantation land with invasive grasses, possible downed lines of power or communication, residential communities of families, elderly that could contribute to it spreading. Unknown power/communications, fast moving fire in high winds, dense residential community. Prioritize the needs of the injured, missing, settle in those displaced, establish threats of reignition is taken care of. Help those that need it. The information audit trail of that night is recorded, people will be intervened, video/cell will be preserved and found. People first.
@@Abundance4LLprecisely
@@Abundance4LLyou hate yourself too much.
@@AntilleanConfederationwell, no
After the initial shock of this tragedy fades, I hope ALL the citizens of Hawaii make it a point to keep their public officials accountable to get things done correctly. Growing up in Hawaii, I know how slow things get accomplished and the level of corruption and cronyism has always been an issue state-wide. Don't let the scam artist and price gougers who will exploit this disaster tarnish the Aloha spirit.
sooooooooooo true!!
Yes!!! I live in Kona and have already reached out to our HOA about our emergency plan…I’ve never seen one! It’s important that we take our safety in our own hands and do the basic things to be prepared.
The public officials are sitting in the new or same economical opportunities positions, no matter what happens to everyone else, premeditatedly caused by them or not. That's how can see that much worse than Oligarchy, that can one day be subjected to the same general population effects, especially from derailments, wildfires or ANYTHING. Thank God for making me see this today.
Very interesting just to realize the thought process. I get it, it’s sad, what to think, how to think, what we could do on and on just as you said. I am sure we will be hearing on this for days to come and especially when people are ready to talk about what they went through. That’s what I would like to hear. So many questions, how and why. Did this Island have any kind of plan for disasters of some sort? Was there just not enough help as far as clearing the buildings or roads, houses up ahead? Too early to start blaming so right now is the shock of it all and helping the families of their lost. Great post, thanking you for sharing your thoughts. personally, I’m glad to hear my family is all OK and got to go back to there homes. ❤
I think this is a great point. Hope things get better and systems and processes improve.
Chris. I haven't even finished watching this (I'm at 4 minutes into it), but I'm compelled to comment here now - just by sharing this in your platform here, you are doing IMMENSELY valuable work. My immediate ohana (hanai son, his sister, their grandma) are in Maui (upcountry, at the Hawaiian Homes in Kula/Keokea). (I'm on the US mainland now.) They're all safe, thank God. But not so, for so many of their friends, cousins, and other family living in Lahaina... many of whom still have ohana missing and unaccounted for. It's an absolute trauma, and ongoing. Again: your sharing this here, with your reach on this platform, is IMPORTANT. What you're doing is pono. Please continue doing so, and being the compassionate, wonderful exemplar of aloha that you are, to the wider world of the internet out there. Mahalo nunui loa, bradded.
(Sorry... autocorrect fail. From "braddah" to "bradded." LOL)
Mahalo for the comment. Appreciate your kind words. Glad to hear that your immediate family is okay.
My daughter went missing in Maui County, Molokai. June 24 2021. She is presumed dead. The Maui County 1st responders and search teams searched for exhaustively. They used all their available resources and we were not even born there. I'm heartsick this happened to my heros in their community. I will def be making a donation on behalf of my missing daughter when it becomes clear the solid way to do so. Hawaii is special. Let's give Aloha back to the place that has been so giving to the whole world. Rip Lahania Rip Gianina Leilani Reid.
Mahalo for sharing your loss and generosity. 🤙
Sorry for your loss 🙏❤
I'm so sorry for your loss 😢 I can't imagine 😭 bless you 🙏🏼
GOSH….I’m in tears listening & reading comments! I’m here on Maui, 1st what can you do when you’re not living here? BE KIND in words (comments) & stop pointing fingers at who did not do there job! That’s the number 1 feeling that makes the tragic situation more heart breaking! Just pray for us & don’t speculate if you not on Maui! At that moment of August 8 we had multiple fires on Maui from 8am. Kula, Lahaina, Kihei, Waikapū. Unfortunately we only have 1 road in & 1 road out on the island what you would call rural island. When you have when winds change to 80mile winds we know we have no chance bc we have no way out. Born & raised all these years it was a battle to put in infrastructure bc of island growth but when you have protesting all the time on every item that comes up, it puts a stop on everything. (I’m Hawaiian so ik how it works) People like myself & my Ohana always said if we have a disaster there’s no way out & as long as we live here you just accept it bc we say this is our island. If we have hurricane next week or a year from now, will still be in the same place today. Believe me don’t think government officials are heartless this is there families to that are gone or affected in some way to. It’s a small community we know everyone or we’re all related. 1st major fire so we don’t have instinct resources like California that have fires all the time. It’s our own family fighting the fires & we live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that we can’t pull other departments to help.
So for me and my Ohana we’re safe we live in Waikapū but still looking for love ones in Lahaina. All we ask if you on Maui & want to make a difference but can’t give supplies or monetarily, we need extra hands at the War Memorial Gym site unloading & sorting. Supplies are in route to Lahaina from War Memorial hub & tomorrow we’re receiving 20 containers from Oahu. For the rest of you that are not on Maui, just say a nice prayer & keep positive vibes for us that’s all we ask & you can do. 😘🙏🤙
🦋 You know... I wanted to comment on some thoughts... now I just want to highlight what you said... Be kind... Everyone needs some time... Open space to listen to those who are going through all this, maybe it can help... .Let's be kind, and patient... Later we'll see how this goes.and then we'll see what to do... We'll keep going... 🦋🐝
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True commentary. The winds traveling 80 mph is too fast for any human to avoid the fire. I wonder if everyone had insurance to provide funds to live again.
If people don’t hold officials accountable, this will happen again. The fact is they ARE responsible AS the government to keep residents safe. That’s just a fact. They can claim “no one saw this coming” but the fact is EVERYONE saw this coming, if you live on Maui you for sure saw the frequent fires in Lāhainā. Yet nothing was done. If you’re from Maui you for sure must be aware of the large scale water diversions that caused places like Lāhainā to transform from a lush landscape to a dry desert landscape… water that wasn’t restored after the plantations closed, but instead was allowed to be privatized by the plantation owners who transformed into the water company who kept all of OUR water and resold it to us. So are we just supposed to continue to allow this and await the next tragedy?!?! Keep our mouths shut and allow them to continue to steal from us?!?!
Also, the LAW in Hawai’i says that water is and must remain a PUBLIC TRUST and Hawaiians specifically have native tenant rights to water. So how is the “state” allowing our resources to be privatized… think about that… and think about how firefighters literally RAN OUT OF. WATER while trying to fight to fires in Lāhainā & how that wouldn’t have been the case if we had our streams restored.
Mahalo for this. Appreciate what you shared.
Living on Oahu, I feel so much sadness at how the people lost their lives and how they tried to save their family members and pets, but couldn’t. Yes, money can help them rebuild the material stuff but like you said, the mental anguish is what will take a long time to heal, if ever. Listening to the news about how people’s remains were found has affected me emotionally. Every day brings more sadness when the death total climbs. Even local news reporters have become emotional reporting these stories. We have to learn from this terrible experience so that it does not happen again. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this tragedy.
Mahalo for the comment. It's been tough to watch the stories on the news.
I live in Hana, Maui, on the other side of the island and mountains from Lahaina. It is so devastating as we all know people and have family there. My heart breaks for the tragedy they are going through and all the unanswered questions. There will be so much to do to recover their lives. Prayers to the area, it involved more than Lahaina. My sincere aloha, thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected in this horrific tragedy.
Mahalo for sharing 🤙
Hana is heaven and we mourn for your great loss of loved ones, of people and of pets and of wild life. Your island is in our prayers.
Yes, you all have that right to be advocating for yourself’s, don’t be afraid to speak up! 💪🏻🇺🇸🙏🏻
@jjemail5284we're currently on the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of our neighbors. You aren't here, please stop contributing to this damn negativity. Plenty of time later to investigate and point fingers. It happened, and all this bitching won't change anything. Help people heal or be silent while others do that.
@jjemail5284nobody owes you the attention you're seeking right now. Even if I told you the answers to your question, you wouldn't accept that because you've already made up your mind to blame without trying to understand. Leave us alone if negativity is all you have to offer.
I've only been on Maui twice in my life, but when I was there, the west side was jawdropping beautiful. Old Lahaina town was also such a charming area, touristy, but still charming. The loss to the local residents is incalculable. So sad.
I so agree…..a sweet beautiful town. We loved our day there. Great authentic Hawaii charm ❤️💔🙏💔
Is it a land grab? Declare the area too toxic??? Our government hates us.
Yeah that was a great place to help local residents too by buying from the small businesses. That's who should get Lahaina back.
As a former Hawaii resident living in Southern California, I never expected a tragedy of this magnitude to befall any of the islands. The stories of survival and deaths are just heart-wrenching. In fact, I had to force myself to limit my news intake. A choice the many living the nightmare do not have.
In SoCal, my neighbors and I live with the reality that a wildfire fueled by Santa Ana winds could, at any time, take our homes and all the possessions within. Since my wife and I do not have children, facing that truth is made easier, so I made peace with that possibility a while ago. There are no subsequent generations, therefore no need for clinging to family heirlooms and pictures - a bit sad, but freeing too. I just hope that if I ever need to deal with a devastating fire or earthquake, that no one has gotten hurt. We can rebuild the house, and fill it with things over time, but lives are irreplaceable. To that end, whenever there is a fire within ten miles of home under windy conditions, I am watching the live news images and judging for myself whether evacuation is warranted or not. Unfortunately, the people of Hawaii may need to adopt this rather pessimistic approach in the future. I say "unfortunately", as I always felt the optimism of the local people was an important aspect that sets them (us) apart.
In the past days, I have asked myself, "is there a right way to feel?". My cousins and I, who left Hawaii, have a made donations to the relief efforts. Though most of us grew up on Oahu, our connection to Maui is strong, as my father's side is from the Valley Isle. Growing up, my father always referred to his Maui as "God's Country". That has not changed.
As with you, I have no conclusion to offer - just my thoughts at the moment. As always, thank you for sharing.
Baja California may be next!
Mahalo for sharing. Not sure if there is a right way to feel. Some feel sadness, others anger. Hopefully in time we'll all learn to heal.
I am saddened by this tragedy. All that I can do is pray for these people that God would touch the heart of people who have to give of their resources and come together to help . We are our brothers keeper. Every little bit helps. This is truely love in action.
My aunt Kelly Cornett’s, was there we can’t find her from the states would you be willing to help?
@@nxxbox-hh8gu was she alone or living with others? I have friends on the Island who might be able to keep an eye out for names on a list or something...
Living here on Maui, the worst part honestly is how the media is trying so hard to scapegoat our local officials. Plenty of time for needed criticism later. All this negative energy is distracting attention away from all the Aloha and support that my Maui ohana needs right now.
Your wise and compassionate approach to this situation is noticed and appreciated.
I live here in Kihei and have been volunteering with a well known disaster organization because I work in tourism and cannot work right now. I went for a walk last night on my favorite nearby beach. I'm used to seeing some locals and several tourists. But last night I see local kine people I don't know. They're Lahaina people who have been given a condo for their family. I spent a long time talk story with one man, and he opened up to me. These conversations are how I'm trying to help my Maui ohana to heal from this very traumatic event.
As a frequent visitor to Maui what do you think is the best way I could help the Lahaina situation specifically so Lahaina gets rebuilt but STAYS HAWAIIAN?
Thank you for this. I am on Oahu, and I don’t know the right way to help right now, too. I’m also having many of the thoughts you shared here, and I think there is so much value in having these conversations, or expressing thoughts, and having an open dialogue with perspective and understanding of others’ stories and views. Mahalo for you and everyone who has their hearts & minds aimed at Maui right now.
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Thank you for your thoughts on this. Much love to everyone ❤
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I’ve been watching you since day one because 40 years ago I decided to go to Hawaii for a vacation with my girlfriend. I know, yes donating is great but it is the love of each other and the need to get emotional support will be crucial for these people! I love Hawaii 🌺 but because it’s far like Puerto Rico I hope people still make this a number one priority! It can’t be out of site out of mind like Puerto Rico seemed to be. They are still struggling to this day! Why did it get to catastrophic? Why couldn’t anything be contained? why was there not enough warning? It’s mind boggling to me!
All great questions. And mahalo for watching since the beginning 🤙
i live upcountry Maui, close to the fires up there... Lahaina was worse than what officials are letting be known
I saw the video the teenager filmed from standing in the ocean. It was very strange.
@@LilyGazou they was some of the first ones to go into the water, others said that when the fire got on the road by the ocean wall, that100 or more went into the water...
My heart breaks 💔 for the people of Lahaina especially for the loss of life. I'm glad you made a video to address this. I agree that money can only go so far. It takes a while for it to trickle down to the individuals and families that lost everything. I hope and pray they will be able to rebuild soon. 🙏
Well said
I'm hoping the locals get some of their businesses up and running again and are able to use the internet to boost their revenue. I'd defiantly buy products and donate to the cause of helping rebuild Lahaina FOR THE HAWAIIANS.
Thank you for sharing this. It’s only been 5 days. It is so much to process. I think of friends who grew up there or they have relatives on Maui, some who were there since the 1930s. It’s a lot to take in. I have had wonderful times in and around Lahaina.
People will be processing grief in various expressions for quite a while.
This will be something to be available for people effected, for years to come. Even simply being a kind, understanding, listening and friendly presence (online or in person) will be meaningful.
Mahalo for the thoughtful comment.
You echo a lot of our thoughts as well. It's heart-wrenching. We were just in Maui, about a week before the fires and it's just devastating to see.
All my life I have felt drawn to Hawaii and knew I wanted to visit someday.... my husband and I finally planned our anniversary trip and are flying to Kauai in a few weeks.. then all this happened. It is devastating. We are still going because everyone is saying Kauai is safe to fly into (and I'm sure it is) but I'm really feeling the impact and want to be respectful and courteous to the locals while I'm there because I'm sure everyone in all of the Hawaiian islands are hurting right now. Thank you for this video.
I’m from Hawaii but but been in mainland for years and this still hits home for me. I appreciate that you acknowledge that they need long term support and your absolutely right maybe just sitting talking story maybe providing a meal or just hearing them out is probably the biggest gift of all. Money can go a long way but it’s not seen the same as emotional support ❤
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It’s truly devastating. People not only lost their homes but their lives, family, friends, pets, livelihood etc. I’ve been praying for Maui and donating and staying up to date on what’s been happening from afar. I wish I were closer so I could do more.
As a Canadian who lives on an island and has visited Kapalua (close to Lahaina) 10 times I am devasted. My heart is broken for the people who live and work on the west side. I don't have appropriate words. My husband and I have shed tears.
Lahaina had it's Front Street with shop, galleries and restaurants but locals lived around the town and they did not live in luxury. Many lived beyond simply. Sadly, the high winds created a perfect storm in carrying the flames down from the mountain. The same mountain was on fire when I was there last November. So much went wrong. As you state, the trauma will a huge chunk of recovery which will take years and years. May the Aloha spirit live on. Thoughts and prayers from Vancouver Island, Canada.
Mahalo for sharing 🤙
The map of the burn zone indicates the fire was mostly confined to the town of Lahaina with little outside dry vegetation involved. The fire definitely did not blow down from the mountains. It likely started on the east side of town due to downed power lines and blew west to the seawall in a matter of minutes in the high winds.
@@andrewstrakele6815
STOP SPREADING MISINFORMATION!!!
There’s actual video of the fire starting near the valley and making its way TOWARDS town.
Aloha Nephew, Mahalo of your strength and compassion in taking up this tragedy. We can only do small things to help, at least relative to the magnitude of the trauma that has been visited upon our neighbors. The frustration in not being able to do more, or to give an answer, is shared by a great many human hearts. Kindness, compassion, respect and generosity are what we can offer to the victims of this profound tragedy. You have spoke eloquently to all of these responses. There is also the question of what we might do going forward. This tragedy was not unimaginable. The combination of fires and winds has appeared on our screens regularly. The fact that we are islands in this remote spot of the ocean increases the vulnerability, as does the results of numerous decisions and circumstances that have occurred for decades. The vulnerability remains and we are not prepared for it. We need to think differently as a community. There are numerous possible suggestions for decreasing the possibility of revisiting this tragedy and others. My hope is that we can learn from what has happened.
I really hope that we can update our procedures here on Oahu and around the state in case of future disasters. Would hate to see this happen again.
Your first line, that you were hesitant to post….I felt that. I was surprised when I didn’t see anything come up from you in the first few days. As you have such a unique and grounded perspective about HI. Prayers being sent!
The only suggestion I have about your want to interview is, you may want to check into trauma informed questioning. Both for them and for you. Trauma is something to understand, and do certain things and not others. But, that’s just my 2 cents to help (maybe).
Mahalo for the comment. Appreciate the thoughtfulness of trauma informed questioning.
[Aug 12, 2023 at 6:42 PM]
This was just sent from an Oahu friend...
Just reported from a whistleblower:
What you're not hearing from our local government -
I just got out of a meeting where I was informed by someone in the Mayors office about developments that are being kept from the public. I am not a conspiracy theorist and I don’t want to make trouble but here’s what I’ve heard.
The amount of fatalities is expected to be more than 500 but less than 1000.
Many of the fatalities will be children who were at home because they canceled school. Parents worked and were not there to evacuate the children. Kids had no idea they needed to leave and by the time they noticed their homes or apartments were on fire, it was too late.
The government is worried about how we will react when we learn that the fire department left the fire earlier in the day and claimed it was 100% contained knowing that the winds were expected to be 70mph by the afternoon. This is against all fire control protocols. The fire department should not have left the original fire unattended. They are scared that the public calls for accountability will be more than they can control and protests and riots will occur.
They plan to lock down Lahaina for several months. It will take months to clean up the hazardous and environmental contamination. They won’t have enough housing for
All the displaced.
There were 2,000 unaccounted for this morning. They have a list where they are trying to keep track. They found 700 today. But there are still 1300 missing.
They are very worried that the community is going to freak out when they find out how not a single fire truck responded to the fires. The emergency sirens were not activated (hurricane sirens) and loss of life could have been kept down by better emergency management which utterly failed.
I’m not trying to make waves or stir up problems but I was so angry and sad when I found out how many children are dead that I knew I had to post this and let everyone know what I have learned.
It’s time for our officials to stand up, tell the truth, and face the music. They failed Lāhainā guys. Our government is full of incompetent nepotism. The fire chief is the son of the former fire chief. We need to hold officials accountable for the mistakes they made.
Please don’t hate the messenger. I’m just relaying what I learned today.
God bless Maui and Lahaina! Pray for all the victims.
Several people in and around the surrounding areas captured on there ring/cameras a big laser coming straight down, then a big fire explosion!
Plasma/D.E.W.s ✈️☢️
Looks very much like January 13, 2018 Paradise, California
I heard all these things too. I hope someone has photos of that laser beam. Everything needs to be questioned at this point.
If this is true, how does the public prove it and why would anyone cause such loss of life and horrific trauma?
There's a lot of evil in this world... and a huge "climate change" agenda afoot@@shellycooper7610
“Roots Restored Wellness” says Hawaii gGovernment has plans to make Maui a smart island.
I think just getting supplies to them or funds. It's beyond unbelievable what happened. I can't believe it. I lived on Maui for years and it breaks my heart. Thank you for your thoughts.
I had a friend that was native Hawaiian pass away a couple of years ago. I adopted his two dogs that were headed to the pound after his death. Their names are Tufa and Nani. I was told Tufa, the male’s name means powerful and Nani, the girls name, means beautiful in the Native Hawaiian language. This describes them perfectly as it does the Hawaiian people. You will be in my thoughts until you are Tufa and Nani again. This will take a long time to heal from but you will find the power to restore your beautiful life.
Tufa is not a Hawaiian word, we don’t even have T or F in our language.
Likewise that’s not the word for powerful in our language.
@@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom no offense, something lost in translation. Maybe dialect. That is their names. my friend was from Maui and that is what I was told. His widow lives in Florida so I will ask her to clarify. He was old like me and left the island after joining the navy. I can’t imagine why he would lie to me.
@@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom I will talk to his wife later, she knows, I don’t want to be wrong and offend somebody. The spelling of their names is mine. I only heard them spoken. But, at the end of the day, the sentiment is the same. I have had a number of friends that were originally from Hawaii and they all seemed to have the same positive attitude and killer sense of humor. What has happened is a massive tragedy and platitudes from strangers don’t mean much but it is all I have to offer. 🙂
@@jayleeper1512
I’m not offended, just clarifying & I’m not accusing him (or you) of lying. Tufa is absolutely without a doubt not a Hawaiian word (Nani is and the definition is correct as well). It’s definitely not a dialect thing either, there isn’t really even different dialects anymore anyways aside from Ni’ihau but even their dialect is almost identical to the other islands and there’s no tufa in their dialect either and tufa isn’t even remotely close to how we say powerful in our language in either dialect. You originally said your friend is Hawaiian then later said you have a lot of friends from Hawai’i… I hope you understand that Hawaiian is an ethnicity and someone simply being from here doesn’t make them Hawaiian at all, only people who are lineal descendants of the aboriginal Polynesians are Hawaiian, no one else is. That would be like Caucasians living in America calling themselves Native Americans… they aren’t, it’s understood that Native American means the aboriginal people of America… same with here, Hawaiian only pertains to the aboriginal Polynesians. A lot of people lie and call themselves Hawaiian when they leave here even though they know damn well they aren’t Hawaiian and shouldn’t be saying that, especially Asians from here. So maybe that’s what’s going on, maybe your friends not Hawaiian at all and asked someone how to say “powerful” and someone said UFA which is a Samoan swear word which can mean “as*%ole” or “up your a*%” which we use frequently here in Hawai’i. We don’t like being asked how to say words or to give names because people feel entitled to our language and appropriate our language and names, and don’t respect that culturally only Hawaiians should have Hawaiian names except in very rare infrequent circumstances, so some people give fake names. That’s what it seems like happened to me anyways, because I’ve seen that happen quite a few times. Like when people get Asian script tattoos and they’re told it means “powerful” for example and they find out it really means something like “1/2 off noodles after midnight” or something lol.
I talked with my friends widow in Florida and she said that Tufa was not Hawaiian but it stood for masterpiece or gift but did not elaborate on which language it was from. Nani was a shortened form of Keikinani which actually stands for beautiful baby. This makes sense because my other Hawaiian friend referred to her husband as Kiki. My friends wife, who is a native Hawaiian from Honolulu said to tell you that she was a native and lost friends and family In Lahaina and that you should spread more Aloha and from now on, if you didn’t refer to me as Uncle Jay, you were disrespecting your heritage and your elders.
Having lost everything in a fire…taught me that material things don’t matter…lives do, luckily everyone was safe…but it teaches you what matters most
Exactly had same happen lost everything to a fire . Just Thank God I wasn't in it
Mahalo for sharing 🤙
Amen! Mahalo
Thank you for posting this. It’s nice to hear from someone locally and honestly. All blessings❣️
My prayers are with everyone who is affected and is in Maui. We’re all praying for you and your families. My family and I are from O’ahu born and raised there and worked in the Islands. I pray that our Ohana’s in Maui are okay. I’m sure that our local government and the federal governments will help you all, but it will take all of us here in California and elsewhere to try and help as much as possible to all the families and their love ones that were loss. Aloha
Teachers are a valuable resource when working to understand what people need. In spite of their own losses they will be back in classrooms at some point. Kids talk more freely than adults and many will talk to their teachers. As a teacher I have experienced this after several hurricanes on the Texas gulf coast. I appreciate your sensitivity to realize that social/emotional needs will be huge in this kind of devastation.
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I hope that people in Maui get the mental health support and comfort that they need.
Thank you for your thoughtful post. You have expressed much of what I have been thinking and feeling. My heart aches for the community. I hope that all can rebuild. The housing situation there was already desperate. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Maui.
Aloha from Lahaina, Maui... I cried watching your video... Thank You for sharing this. I lost my house in the fire. I thank God that I didn't lose anyone in my family but I did lose friends in the fire. Being born and raised here in Lahaina makes this fire so devastating. Like you mentioned, all the memories of places and buildings and streets-all gone. I am a civilian employee for the Maui Police Department in Lahaina and I was working that night of the fire. Part of the reason why we couldn't get the word out about the fire was the power to majority of the town was out from the early morning. What started as a small fire grew. With the winds whipping around like it was, made it impossible for the firefighters to keep up with the flames. The winds in Lahaina, know as "KAUAULA" winds are something fierce. These winds changed direction so fast that it literally became so unpredictable that even firefighters were caught of guard. I sat by the radio in the station ALL NIGHT listening to officers scream and yell about which building was burning, who was running or where to go because the smoke was so black that it turned the sky DARK like midnight.
The tremendous outpouring of LOVE from all over the world has been somewhat overwhelming. We have some great volunteers from FEMA, Red Cross, Samaritans Purse, Army Core of Engineers, Dept of Health helping the Lahaina People get their lives back together. Rebuilding Lahaina will take YEARS. Our infrastructure of my ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD will have to be rebuilt. All power poles burned, all sewer, water lines all have to be replaced. All roads and sidewalks need to be replaced. The fire was so hot that the cars that remained in our neighborhoods-part of them melted into puddles.
The response from the outter islands have been AWESOME. The outpouring of ALOHA from around the state has been GREAT!
But like you said, What's going to happen once the dust settles??? Will the people of Lahaina be yesterdays news??? Will the aid stop?? I hope not. I hope that the promises by President Biden, Governor Green are kept! We are looking at a MARATHON as Lahaina residents to get back our town. Not no speed race...
All I can say, for my experience is "REMEMBER US". Remember LAHAINA... Thank You..
I am sure the fire itself won't spread from Maui to Oahu or any of the other islands, but the question is, The thing that started the fires on Maui, what's stopping that from occurring on other islands in the near future? What's the plan to prevent this from happening again in the state moving forward?
They do a very good job here on Hawaii with maintaining dead and dry plants. Brush fires 🔥 in the downtown seems unlikely.
Incompetence.
Upkeep with dry vegetation. And also more eyes looking out for arson. No way in hell this was caused by nature. They took advantage of the conditions and started this fire by human hands. Many more islands that have dead vegetation and crazy wind and you don’t see them burning up in the pacific, or the Caribbean Sea. Something smells fishy here and I’m thinking this was a way to remove family’s from their homes so that the land can be build into something else.
Great question. Probably dry vegetation management and having plans in place, especially communication.
Thank you for sharing your heartfelt thoughts!!! My grandkids and their relatives live in Maui. Their relatives, friends, and the community have been so deeply affected.
God bless everybody who was affected by this disaster.
Thank you for speaking your heart here and sharing your vulnerability around wanting to help but not knowing how. I like that you're thinking about practical things beyond money that can really make a difference in someone getting back on their feet. During and after the 2018 eruption therapists and all kine mental health pros came out and helped during the initial shock, and for months afterwards to process our trauma. I believe such folks are again rallying this very moment to do what they can to help fire victims find their bearings and grieve their losses.
Yeah, the financial part is important, but so is the emotional part. So I do hope those services are available to anyone affected.
This was a great video. You brought up some very good points. It is good to be introspective about this disaster. I appreciate your sensitivity to what has happened. Thank you for saying what a lot of people are thinking.
Mahalo 🤙
Thank you for creating space to share thoughts. Beyond the grief of families who will never be the same because of those missing, synd people dealing emtionally with trauma, especially including children, my thoughts turned to all the history, artifacts and documents, that are lost. I thought of Hokule'a, wondering if any of the crew members are from Maui, how horrible that separation would be. I'm on the continent, no connection except love of hula and Hawaiian culture, but it still leaves me breathless. Much aloha to all. 😥
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I donated to several organizations. While my total donations are a drop in the bucket, I feel every little bit helps.
Hope your video raises a lot of money.
Fire can happen anywhere. Pray we don't have another huge fire.
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No this kind of fire just doesn’t happen it’s intentional. Maybe do some research and listen to people who actually went through this disaster.
My prayers and thoughts are with the families that lost everything in the fire and the people that lost their lives. This made me cry when I seen this.
What is scary is that the winds caused the fire to spread so quickly. If it happened on Maui it can happen on any island. And the hurricane was many miles away yet caused so much damage.
Oh but no one asking the right questions… such as was it arson? Who are the contractors lining up to build hotels and new business on top of the old single family homes….
D.E.Weapons.. Maui was attacked & boots on the ground know it.. WE are at war!
@@raphaelm6149 YES!!! A land grab by the evil elites/corporations! :(
Former Maui Resident here. Maui used to have a yearly (or more) prescribed burn because they still had the sugar cane industry at that time. They had beautiful green grass fields of cane when the cane was young. Then on the proper time and day they would burn those leafy grasses off leaving behind the cane that they would cart off to the processing factories. Now no more prescribed burns. I have wondered if something like this would be the result of no more prescribed burns. I say bring the sugar cane back! Much better to be ready for and used to the burns. This is devastating.
Growing sugar cane and then burning it caused massive damage to the island. It was toxic to the soil and the air. The land is not fertile now, and it is very difficult to grow any crops. There is a way to bring the soil back, but it takes years. Bringing back sugar cane is not the way out.
No. And in fact the imposed plantations are the reason for Lāhainā burning. The plantations diverted water out of Lāhainā (& many other towns on Maui) and into their plantations, leaving Lāhainā and much of Maui drought and wildfire prone. Then the state allowed the plantations to keep the water diverted and become the water company and sell us OUR own water back to us. Lāhainā used to be lush and famously known for its abundance of ‘ulu trees, they never had fires back then.
Hundreds of acres in the Central Valley and going upcountry have been planted with new crops by a group called Mahi Pono. It is citrus and coffee. I don’t know if they plan to plant on the west side too. I sure hope so. We need the irrigated land back.
Mahalo for sharing
@@merrywalsh2809 We need native plants back, & to stop allowing foreign interests to control the water & agriculture.
Hands down one of the best videos I’ve watched in regards to Mauis Lahaina fires. Thank you so much for asking these questions, we need help. Let’s focus on recovering the bodies before the land… everyone has lost something. But we must start with the people that are still unaccounted. #LIVESOVERLAND.
Thank you for your videos🙏
I'm from Illinois but I can tell you my ❤ goes out to all of you
And so so sorry for your loss
I have been crying for days. 😢😢😢
One of the maintenance guys who works over in my building here on oahu lost 17 family members in lahaina. Just try to consider that.
Oh my God. That’s awful. How can people help?
I see this video as a very thoughtful, “thinking out loud” moment that reflects what’s going through many of our minds. Thank you for making it.
I’m from Maui. On Maui we are all born in Wailuku but my childhood was in Lāhainā until we moved to the other side. My preschool and elementary school was on Front St. I walked home from school down Front St.
This is a very touching video. My ‘ohana are all accounted for. I am grateful and lucky. I think you should go back and just talk to them. Reach out. Talk story but give it time.
Everyone is still traumatized, sad, in shock and angry. They’re all in survival mode yet somehow still have to go back to work… My cousins wife had to go to work at Marriott the next day. My sister who lost everything except her pets has to return to work soon.
There are a lot of sad horrific stories but there are also heroic stories of kānaka māoli and Hawai’i locals fighting to keep what they could and coming together to get around federal red tape to get supplies from donations.
I hope you are able to connect with them. It could help with the process of healing. Mahalo for such a thoughtful video.🤙🏼
You can pray , you can give a hug,you can be a shoulder yo cry on, you can give hope in this hopeless situation.
Thank you for this. You are right, funds will help for immediate survival, but this will take years, maybe decades to adress, and most importantly at a human level to process and heal. Everyone who ever loved Lahaina, or Maui, for even a moment, has trauma over this. Lets be patient with ourselves for not having all the answers right away, while we take care of eachother, learn lessons.
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wonderful thoughts! Thank you for making a space for this sobering and heart wrenching discussion! It really gives hope!
Thank you for your compassion from your heart it comes through loud and clear your idea is great on giving surviors a place to possess there pain trauma 😊and your channel can be used so people of the world will never forget maui and its pain
All I know of the state is Maui. Hiked all over, visited friends, swimming on beaches all around.m, attended weddings. My friends’ houses are still standing and they have taken people in.
If anyone has room to take in a person or a family or pets, there is a website set up for that. I can’t post links but you should be able to google it.
I lost a place in a wildfire and it changes you forever. It was devastating in every way. And nothing ever feels like home now.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I feel the same and also trying to process all that has happened. My cousin and his family is safe, but has lost everything 😭. I'm grateful that they're alive, but where do we start to help them. Living in Las Vegas I feel helpless however I know there's the Hawaiian Community here that has set up locations for donations. I'm at a lost for words
It’s been hard for Hawaiians for a long time and the working class and middle class have had to move to the mainland to afford a decent life.
Mahalo for sharing. Glad your family is safe. Hopefully they can get through the rebuilding process quickly.
As a fellow brother, I completely appreciate you sharing your thoughts and honest feelings. It's sad to see all the negativity in regards to this tragic event. Innocent people have died, been displaced etc...I'm glad you touched on the trauma that each person has gone thru as this will affect future generations. So I too hope that there is support available for all. I also hope people will heal, that Maui and Hawaii in general can rebuild, improvise systems and work together to get thru this. Thanks again for sharing 🤙🏾🙏🏾
I literally cried hearing the news. I moved from Oahu to Japan just a week ago. My family and friends lost their home but are physically alright. I donated money and my family on Oahu are using my old room to house my displaced grandmother and grandfather. It still doesn't feel like enough and I wish the state did more. It all feels like most of the work is being done by the communities on the Hawaiian islands, which is unfair because natives and locals should be taken care of by the state. But I love how much everyone I know from Hawai'i, near and far, are giving their support and spreading news of how to donate. Proud to be from Hawai'i in that way ❤ Maui, stay #mauistrong ❤️🩹
I live on Maui. I have been here 40:years. Some of my family have been here more than 100 years. I can tell you about the fire. The wind gusts to 80 mph were caused by a strong high pressure to the north and a hurricane 800 miles to the south that caused strong low pressure. In the middle was Hawaii and a ferocious wind shear from the two pressure systems colliding. No rain, just high winds. The winds screamed down the mountain, blew down dozens of telephone poles, trees and the cell towers on the dry west side. These blocked the roads, trapping the people. The live wires sparked fires. There was so much fuel and such high winds that a fast moving fireball incinerated the town. Brush, wooden houses, car gas tanks, gas stations exploded all over. Steel melted. Since communications were knocked out first, there was no way to warn the residents except if the cops would have used the loudspeakers on their cars, which I don’t think they did. My situation may be unique. I was in the process of selling one house and buying another. I signed the papers on the new house in Lahaina last week. I was putting my old house on the mountain up for sale in five days. I am not rich, but at this moment, I own two houses. Both were very close to separate fires. Both were in evacuation areas. One had a tree fall on it. The one in Lahaina (actually Kaanapali) the fire was stopped 400 yards away from it. I have been holding my breath for a week. But I dodged a bullet, and I am fortunate and I know it. My heart is broken for the people of Lahaina and Kula who have lost their loved ones, their homes, their pets. We will rebuild. We will learn how to better care for our communities.
Shouldn't their be some sort of crisis management procedures implemented for disaster like this?
Did something happen in this incident that had never happened before, for it to be handled soo poorly?
Mahalo, for coming up on your CZcams channel and talk about the real issues.
The emotional part is the most important section of this whole disaster story of Lahaina. This were exactly my feelings right after the wildfire, especially the personal story of each individual, which came out alive of this catastrophe. I am German born, visited Lahaina and Maui several times, and fell in love many years ago. In 2002, I immigrated from Germany to the US, and it was and still is an experience. The Hawaiian people are something special, in my opinion, and worth to pay attention to their culture.
It is interesting, but I found out, that after I posted several articles and videos after the Lahaina disaster on youtube, just a few of my fb-friends even responded or gave their condolences and thoughts. Everybody was to concerned about their own lives, family and well being, and I was really shocked about this kind of disregard. I guess, human beings in general are pretty self-oriented and could care less about their neighbors. But this is what we became with civilization. I wanted to point this out foremost, because it shocked me deeply. I don't know, what else I should mention. For me it is the most important issue of our time, the century, we are living in. I could care less about the money, or what celebrities are donating. They just want to stay in the Media and become more influential.
I hope, that some folks will think about the real meaning of human existence, but I quite frankly spoken have my doubts.
Thank you, for reading and giving this article a thought.
Mahalo for sharing. Appreciate it 🤙
I’ll keep watching. Hoping to gain some insight of those affected and those of us who are far away wishing there was something we could do besides donate a bit of money and move on. I’m a disabled woman living with her husband and dogs in Kansas…..watching……and wishing I could do anything to help. Maybe I can learn by watching…..learn what it is that the people on Maui need right now and need to be different in the future. What is the Hawaiian word for respect? I hope you post some more videos letting us know how things are moving forward?? Thank you for posting this.
Time to Take Hawaii Back! Don't Sell The Land! Camp on your property! Force the government out! Fish for Food! Distillation and rain water filters for drinking water! Don't let them have it without a fight!
Exactly. Someone paying attention.
Yeah this has been insanely sad
This is giving a whole lot of perspective.
The people have to process this and plus rearrange themselves. Yes. A hug , going out to eat and stuff can put small hole in the devastation, but it is a beginning on this type of path. Listening, support, etc.
What is happening to some is happening to us all some type of way. Always out to learn.
Thank you…I was born in Hawaii…live there until age 8….have family that live on Maui (we’re blessed everyone is ok)…I’ve enjoyed your channel as it provides insights into living in Hawaii…the culture and aspects of daily life… that really helps to inform me and allows me to understand my family living there better…much appreciated your perspectives into life/living in Hawaii…Thank you ❤️🤙🏽
You explained it perfectly…as someone from Oahu but lives in the mainland I feel limited as what I can do to help. Maui was my get away from Oahu when I lived at home. My heart is so broken for Maui and our brothers and sisters there. My prayers are with them.
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I was waiting for your video, I'm going to watch it now. All my thoughts are with the Hawaiian ohana. I'm in shock, too.
Our 2 children and
5 grand children
That live there are safe but we have lost contact with
Friends that live in Lahaina town.
Plesae pray for all these people going through
This tragedy.
Much love and our hearts are with all of them.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Unmanageable disbelief to see such tragedy. Thousands of prayers 🙏🏽
I agree with the other commenter who suggested that rebuilding the tourism industry on Maui and in Lahaina * just as quickly as possible is crucial. Spend money in Maui! And that would definitely, perhaps especially, include inter-island tourism from the residents of the rest of Hawaii, since you guys are close by.
For those of us who can’t get to Maui, if there is any possibility of buying from stores / businesses on Maui online, it would be worth considering. For example, I’m a big book buyer and collector, so if I could buy books about Hawaii from a bookstore / dealer on Maui, I would look at that.
Another key factor here is that civically, we all have to insist on better disaster management, because these sorts of events are demonstrably increasing in frequency, and are not going away. Politics these days is so focused on culture war nonsense, not on life at ground level.
* If San Francisco could be rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, if Chicago could be rebuilt after the 1871 fire, then Lahaina can be rebuilt; it’s a simpler proposition, and should not take years. Even replicas of the historic structures are possible. But the examples of San Francisco and Chicago should be kept in mind; the rebuilding has to be done to HIGHER STANDARDS and with BETTER MATERIALS, with new disaster protections as a key part of the overall scheme.
it's a horrible catch 22, obvious NO TOURISTS Should physically be visiting maui right now indefinitely, but HANA, Kihue the volcano and other parts of Maui not affected will soon begin to starve off tourist dollars. What's best is to first recover all the bodies and then clean up as fast as possible.
Mahalo for your comment. I appreciate that you mentioned a civil insistance on improving disaster management.
Interesting, how you mentioned you don’t know how it was started?? Yeah, what did happen? This whole situation is odd. Your right.
I'm not sure how it started, but I'm waiting to find out.
Please keep us informed. Too many unpredictable things have been happening all over the place. I wish you all good luck, stay safe.
Born and raised in Oahu, Maui was just the magical place the Krispy Kreme donuts came from. Like you, I couldn’t point to Lahaina on a map. Never even been to ANY neighbor islands. I had to go back to the mainland for school right when the fires erupted.. and I feel so helpless from here and my heart hurts for all the lives lost. The waves of grief I feel daily and I’m not even directly affected.
Thank you so much Chris for sharing your thoughts on the situation. I know it must have been hard trying to plan out and film since there are just so many emotions going on
This disaster is really hard to process. You might appreciate watching the news conference from Wailuku that was held Saturday. You’ll find it on CZcams. It will help you be part of the solution instead of conjecturing what’s up as it is factual. Here in Kona we too wonder for the future and ours as well. We are all processing it…just like when the tsunami hit here. Malama pono.
Mahalo for the suggestion. 🤙
Living on Oahu and watching this unfold has my entire family is traumatized. We have friends and family who are in Lahaina. My eldest daughter (age 38) couldn’t sleep last night because she’s afraid that it’s going to happen on Oahu. I’ve been up for the last few nights thinking about it myself. And the more I think about it the angrier I get… because I begin to over-think and ask questions like why did those 93+ people have to die such a horrific death? Where were the sirens? Are they using weather manipulation tactics for a land grab? Seriously… we need to question everything! 😢
This tragic disaster initiates a huge land grab situation. 💔
Amen.
Mahalo for sharing. Sorry to hear about how this has affected your daughter. Hopefully we learn more about what happened soon.
I’m so glad you’re asking these questions. Love Kaneohe and Kailua (Hawai’i Loa grad). Love the Kama’ainas of Hawai’i.
Wyland lost his Lahaina gallery and on his Instagram he’s posted the organizations that are helping.
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Hey bro, I dont have time right now to finish your video (about 5 mins in).. i gotta go get in line to get a placard so we can travel from lahaina side freely for supplies and what not. I live in Honokwai right next to Lahaina.. I just wanted to say there are several locals IG accounts that are far more accurate than any other source of info. MeanHawaii i find to be the most helpful. Lots of valuable information for us over here kept up-to-date, and links to local for donations that will go to the ppl and not get held up in govt red tape. Mahalo nui loa for your channel ❤
I have seen a picture of a laser beam hitting the ground in maui starting the fire look in to that.
How do we find pic? I thought DEW was now invisible....?
Hello! This is a DEW! OWinfry&Bezo r interested in buying the island. They own properties there & are not consumed according to the alternative news which no one would ever hear in mainstream media & they want the island.
We pray for God’s comfort & compassion for the people facing this difficult time in their lives.😢
Our living hope is in Christ❤
Pastors & Bible teachers to listen to:
JD Farag pastor in Hawaii/ Gene Kim/ Robert Breaker
Yes, signs of DEW. Devastating!!!
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts..I was born in Oahu but mostly raised in
CA. I have many relatives on Maui, Oahu, and Kauai. It is sounding like so many things were mishandled. I am outraged at the ineptitude of so many government officials. I would think many locals and non-locals actually would be equally outraged.
Thanks for providing a place for people to share about this awful tragedy. I am reminded of a fire I lived through in Southern California. There was a fire several miles away from where I lived and I could see the smoke from my house. I watched the fire progress towards my neighborhood and got ready to leave if needed. A few blocks from my house was a RV storage parking lot. I started to hear explosions and only later understood it was the RV propane tanks blowing up. Those explosions were so loud and frightening I got my son and dog and high tailed it out as fast as I could. There were no police of firefighters in my neighborhood when this happened. Mandatory evacuations happened later and we were not able to return home. Not knowing if your house burned down is really unsettling. I’m so sorry for the people who have lost everything in Maui.
There was a propane storage tank on front street. It didn't blow up.🤔
First off, all the residence of the state of Hawaii thank you for the global outpouring of Aloha and thought of love you are sending our way . . . we appreciate it!
Now here's my dose of cold water. Not really based on blame, although the calls for accountability are going to come.
What has been and is being done about all drought ridden communities? This was a recipe for disaster; drought ridden dry brush; high winds that downed power lines that may have initially sparked the fire and was the main contributor to spreading the fire rapidly; alarm warning systems that didn't operate when it was needed.
We are still in hurricane season, with 3 1/2 months to go. And regrettably, it won't spare us from a strike just because a disaster just occurred. Even though the focus is on Lahaina, what is going to be done about all communities in a similar predicament.
The Coco Palms Hotel on Kauai never reopened after Hurricane Iniki, and that was 30+ years ago; some things never recover . . . that's reality.
Help the victims however you can right now . . . although the work in all of our communities has just begun. Time to start implementing preventive measures, because the next high wind storm or hurricane may be right on our horizon.
I'm not blaming the government. Although statements and sentiments we all share of our hearts go out to the victims of this tragedy rings hollow if we don't implement changes going forward. The learned lessons need to be implemented immediately in all like communities.
Appreciate your comment. Lots of great things to think about.
At this moment, 'Greg' is starting to pass south of the islands, much along the track of Dora, but with reduced intensity.
'Fernanda' will follow, but on a more northerly tract. One that will take it into cooler water, so that may help to reduce it's strength. This may bring rain to the island chain next weekend.
'Hillary' is building after now in the east Pacific Ocean. It's track hasn't been established just yet.@@HelloFromHawaii
The local government, the power companies, the local weather forecasters and the local alert system all failed the residents. I hope they learned some important lessons and would be better prepared in the future
The authorities are good at alerting the public of false missile launches from North Korea though.
They're part of the agenda smh 🤦
Doubtful. Remember when that incompetent siren worker scared Hawaiians into thinking that NKorea was going to strike? David Ige said “cmon man, give him a break” 😮
Maybe you will learn a lesson about judgement.
We'll have to see what comes of the AG report before placing blame on any one entity.
That is they key, remembeing them (Maui) once the new cycle is over. I know that Maui will recover. The locals will see to it. The word community is very strong in the Islands. All the stars can come and go but Hawaii will take care of Hawaii. I am sure that there will be someone that will be able to talk to those in need and the Red Cross will definietly be there for the long run to help where they can. I hope that the donations that come in will go to the right places so Maui can rebuild & recover. Great video as always. I'm sure a lot of people on the Island and on the Mainland feel the exact way you do.
I appreciate your heartfelt post and also feel somewhat helpless but desire deeply to help our neighbors from Maui. Well said brother 🙏
After getting your prior video feedback on just how difficult it is to get supplies, arrange construction, and the long wait times under normal conditions, I was feeling really bad for the survivors impacted by this massive loss. There just is no quick fix apparent to handle the scope of the issue. The only "bright" side is at least the weather tends to be very reasonable and really no dangerous critters so setting up temporary housing with tents or whatever should be a little easier then in a harsh climate.
I did send a donation but the distance and logistics makes one feel pretty helpless in providing aid. We can only hope the Federal government sets up in a meaningful way with delivering supplies, including construction materials. They may even be able to coordinate construction professionals and equipment to the island. Hopefully, the state government can fast track permits and site reviews so it does not take years to recover.
Early to say what exactly went wrong with getting the word of the danger out, but it is clear the alert system could be better.
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Maui, be careful letting investors or rich celebrities come in on Maui and still your land! This is why they caused the fire on purpose. This is what they do!
Mahalo for your reasoned, thoughtful and respectful way of discussing this almost incomprehensible tragedy for the families and communities of Lahaina, Maui and Hawaii. I just found your channel as I try and find more factual information about the fire and aftermath. I value the way you are thinking and talking about it. Like you, I hope to learn more about what has happened and how we can learn from it to prevent anything like this happening to other communities. I have two aunties and ohana on Maui, one lived in Lahaina and one up country. My heart is full of gratitude that they are alive and safe now, and that they are all together up country now. My heart goes to everyone who will now need to process, heal and find a way forward together. Aloha oe
Dang dude! You are a blessing. You speak from your soul! The Love you feel for humanity is contagious. Lots and lots of love ❤️
I feel like no one is talking about the fire that just happened in Waikele area like a week ago, I think it was a brush fire. It's so crazy to be so close to Maui and be living our normal lives while people lost their lives over there. But in reality all of Hawaii is susceptible to these fires.
What about the many islands with even less population and dry vegetation that are not burning…. And also exposed to high winds.
Great point. Mahalo for sharing about what happened in Waikele. And we can't forget what's happening on the Big Island.
So true! @@HelloFromHawaii
I think the best way to help is to contribute to organizations that are prepared to work at scale with the government, have the tools, processes and ability to purchase the materials that can contribute. Red Cross, Humane Society and Maui Mutual Aid are a good place to start. Prayers for the good people of Maui.
Hell nah. Red Cross is a sludge fund.
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hello from Aotearoa (New Zealand) thinking of you all at this time with kindness, love and caring. Keep your story and thoughts coming about the fires, it’s valuable to hear, it’s genuine and thought provoking and refreshing compared to the mainstream media. invite the locals of Oahu to make contact an invite them to tell their story on your chanel. allow them to identify their needs and solutions, i image a priority of needs will eventuate that may find an on the ground community response, that may grow and connect, as has happened in NZ. Nga mihi aroha kia koutou.
Mahalo for the comment. I haven't paid too much attention to what is out there on the mainstream media. Just the local news.
Thank you for what you do...
You know the government wants the land. They are clearing out the beautiful areas, or the good financial, and farm land areas. Washington, Oregon, Louisiana, San Francisco...Hawaii is prime port and beautiful areas.
right!! systematically letting SF destroy itself
Sadly the sadness is now becoming a righteous kind of anger, and it's obvious now AFTER the fires that the sirens SHOULD HAVE GONE Off, and there SHOULD HAVE Been more of a warning. But this was literally a perfect storm of death, a "fire hurricane" in the EVENING when many were asleep or settled in. As we have ALL become dependent on cell phones it's obvious towers went down and phone alerts arrived way too late. Those sirens should have been BLARING from the moment the fires started down the hill towards Lahaina. This is a horrible tragedy that's only going to get worse as far as deaths. But the last thing we need, and what is happening now is the blame game, finger pointing and political conspiracy theories that both sides are using to promote their agendas when ALL the focus right now should be on searching for the chance of ANY survivors but more likely recovering all the bodies lost.
I agree that the anger is rising, particularly on social media. Some of the comments are disappointing.
Praying is all I can do. Hawaii strong yes your leading the nation on just how you take care of your neighbors Family and friends. This is your heart spirt and native strength. We’re all watching and praying. Hawaii strong!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Nah bruh we’re all still processing and the mind goes in so many directions and goes in circles and waves of tears and waves of gratitude for being fortunate and definitely lots of helplessness and wanting so bad to help and definitely wanting to hug them all tight.
I realize many people have lost their loved ones or good friends my grandma lost much of her joy of life after she lost many elderly friends during the 1991 Hills Fire ❤
Was that Maui too?
@@dominysynclair Hi thank you for replying yes l have a good friend who lost friends in Maui The 1991 Fire was in the Oakland Berkeley Hills and we were simply lucky our family home wasn’t lost
@@laurieleonard8209 Do you think the Lahaina fire was deliberate in some way?
@@dominysynclair l simply don’t know but l will consider all possibilities thank you