Wildfires burning across Maui prompt evacuations

[GtHawk]

For those wondering about this:

In 2021, the Obama Foundation spent over one-fourth of its $160 million in donations on expenses.  Here are the top five salaries it paid out:

VALERIE JARRETT, DIRECTOR/CEO
$581,305

DAVID SIMAS, PRESIDENT
$545,890

ROBBIN COHEN, EVP, OPC, TECH. & STRATEGY
$495,877

CLARISSA PETERSON, SVP, PEOPLE
$316,800

MICHAEL STRAUTMANIS, EVP, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
$315,312




Here is a good place to go to do research on charities and find out which ones pay out the most for what you are giving your money for:
  https://www.charitynavigator.org/


Here's a list of 26 charities for Maui relief:  https://www.charitynavigator.org/discover-charities/where-to-give/hawaii-fires-2023/

You won't find the Obama Foundation on that list.

Have the Clintons put their bid in yet for donations? Just look what they did for the Haitians!

[Hoodat]

Thank you @Hoodat

I always try to check Charity Navigator before I send money to a. charity I never heard of before. I got a letter from a pet charity the other day asking for a donation and when I checked them out they had the lowest rating possible on Charity Finder. They did not get my money and instead I sent some to the local shelter.

It's just a guide with some useful information.  MercuryOne must have had some hefty administrative costs getting people out of Afghanistan.  Their 85% score reflects that overhead which should be taken into consideration when looking for a charity to donate to.

A better guide may be the salaries of their top five officers:

SUZANNE M BOCK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
$133,905

KYRA BEESON, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
$111,182

STEVE DULIN, TREASURER
$0

TIM BARTON, SECRETARY
$0

DAVID BARTON, BOARD PRESIDENT
$0

This is definitely a charity I would donate to.

[mountaineer]

In 2021, the Obama Foundation spent over one-fourth of its $160 million in donations on expenses.  Here are the top five salaries it paid out:

VALERIE JARRETT, DIRECTOR/CEO
$581,305

It's comforting to know she landed on her feet. 

[Gefn]

EXCLUSIVE: Maui wildfires death toll climbs to 480 locals claim, as Hawaii morgue workers run out of body bags and survivors are left to recover the charred remains of their loved ones


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12420893/Maui-wildfires-death-toll-update.html


(I can't even fathom this)

[Smokin Joe]

EXCLUSIVE: Maui wildfires death toll climbs to 480 locals claim, as Hawaii morgue workers run out of body bags and survivors are left to recover the charred remains of their loved ones


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12420893/Maui-wildfires-death-toll-update.html


(I can't even fathom this)

Sadly, I can.

Not only incompetence (at best) but a cover-up to boot.

[mountaineer]

... “The Government, relief organizations, they're not doing anything.”

“We have the right to know what's going on. FEMA came here to help with the recovery [process] but we don't see them.”

“We're only 100 miles from Oahu which has several military bases. Why is the response so lacking? Why are they doing so little? Why is nothing else being done?”  ...

Good question.

https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1692643740899250197

[goatprairie]

Hawaii Agency Accused of Delaying Release of Water to Protect Maui Property

A state water agency in Hawaii has been accused of delaying the release of water from a traditional farm that landowners reportedly wanted to use to protect their property as the Maui wildfire spread last week.

According to the Honolulu Civil Beat, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) initially refused a request from West Maui Land, a real estate development company, to provide water to protect properties that were at risk in the area.

Fingers have been pointed at one official in particular, M. Kaleo Manuel, DLNR’s deputy director for water resource management.

The Honolulu Civil Beat reported:

    With wildfires ravaging West Maui on Aug. 8, a state water official delayed the release of water that landowners wanted to help protect their property from fires. The water standoff played out over much of the day and the water didn’t come until too late.

    The dispute involved the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ water resource management division and West Maui Land Co., which manages agricultural and residential subdivisions in West Maui as well as Launiupoko Irrigation Co., Launiupoko Water Co., Olowalu Water Co. and Ha’iku Town Water Association.

    …

    According to the sources, Manuel wanted West Maui Land to get permission from a taro, or kalo, farm located downstream from the company’s property. Manuel eventually released water but not until after the fire had spread. It was not clear on Monday how much damage the fire did in the interim or whether homes were damaged.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/08/17/hawaii-agency-accused-of-delaying-release-of-water-to-protect-maui-property/

That's what happens when you put local native "knowers" of magic practices to protect the land. In short, idiots in charge like Mr. Manuel.

[Hoodat]

EXCLUSIVE: Maui wildfires death toll climbs to 480 locals claim, as Hawaii morgue workers run out of body bags and survivors are left to recover the charred remains of their loved ones


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12420893/Maui-wildfires-death-toll-update.html


(I can't even fathom this)

They ran out of body bags?  FEMA has know for days to expect over 1000 deaths.  They couldn't load body bags on a commercial transport and send them to Maui?

[mountaineer]

KanekoaTheGreat
@KanekoaTheGreat
JUST IN - An independent Maui company has unveiled new evidence suggesting that equipment failures in the power grid likely triggered multiple fires.

The data was collected through a network of smart sensors known as Ting, distributed to homeowners by insurers. These sensors, designed to spot electrical hazards at homes, also detect grid-wide issues in real time.

For example, on August 7th at 10:47 p.m., an explosion occurred near Maui Bird Conservation Center in Upcountry Maui. Soon after, flames appeared along the tree line.

Ting's data analysis showed that ten nearby sensors recorded a sudden voltage drop at that exact time—an unmistakable sign of a grid fault.

Such faults involve abnormal electric currents due to equipment failures, like transformer explosions, fallen power lines, or line contact. These faults, seen in the bird sanctuary explosion video, can cause sparks or arcs, potentially releasing molten metal fragments.

Within the same period, 78 sensors across the island identified 122 grid faults, mainly due to strong winds. ...

VIDEO and more:

https://twitter.com/KanekoaTheGreat/status/1692635987371790691

[Gefn]

I've gotten some emails from a few animal charities I support,  and they are all asking to donate to The Maui Human Society


https://www.mauihumanesociety.org

[anubias]

Wondering if anybody has heard from Emjay.  I see she hasn’t been here since May of 2020, but if anybody hears from her, please let me know.  She used to live on Maui and I assume she still does.

Thank you.

anubias

[Cyber Liberty]

Wondering if anybody has heard from Emjay.  I see she hasn’t been here since May of 2020, but if anybody hears from her, please let me know.  She used to live on Maui and I assume she still does.

Thank you.

anubias

She got mad at us and left.   

[anubias]

She got mad at us and left.   

Thank you, Cyber Liberty.  I hope she’s OK.  :/

[Hoodat]

Thank you, Cyber Liberty.  I hope she’s OK.  :/

You should check in more often, @anubias

[mystery-ak]

Owner of Lahaina 'miracle house' that was only one spared by devastating Maui wildfire shares secrets of how the $4M property survived

    Dora Atwater Millikin and her husband Dudley Long Millikin III own the $4million seaside Lahaina home that was left unscathed in the Maui wildfires
    The pristine white house with a red roof stands alone against a shoreline full of homes that were entirely incinerated by the devastating wildfire
    None of the renovations the Millikins made to their house were intended to fireproof the 100-year-old structure - but they ultimately saved it from ruin

By Sophie Mann For Dailymail.Com

Published: 13:07 EDT, 20 August 2023 | Updated: 09:59 EDT, 21 August 2023

Amid the rubble that is now Lahaina stands one seaside home, left untouched by the devastating fires that decimated the town on Maui.

The home's owners, Dora Atwater Millikin and her husband Dudley Long Millikin III, recently made relatively minor adjustments to the $4million house that may have been the keys to its preservation.

Aerial photos show the red-roofed home with a bright white façade still in seemingly pristine condition, against the grey-toned, ashen landscape by which it is surrounded. The fire's death toll is currently tallied at 114, with the number expected to continue rising.

'It's a 100 percent wood house so it's not like we fireproofed it or anything,' Dora told the LA Times.

But the couple did recently replace the asphalt roof with a heavy-gauge metal one, and cut down on foliage surrounding the home in order to reduce the risk of termites spreading to the house.

Atwater Millikin, 63, said none of the changes that were made were done with the idea of fireproofing in mind - but it was these changes that ultimately saved it from ruin.



more
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12426177/Owner-Lahaina-miracle-house-one-spared-devastating-Maui-wildfire-shares-secrets-property-survived.html#comments

[mountaineer]

Owner of Lahaina 'miracle house' that was only one spared by devastating Maui wildfire shares secrets of how the $4M property survived

The Q-following conspiracy theorists were convinced this one surviving house was proof that the fire was started by the government's targeted "DEWS," Direct Energy Weapons.

[Kamaji]

The Q-following conspiracy theorists were convinced this one surviving house was proof that the fire was started by the government's targeted "DEWS," Direct Energy Weapons.

[Smokin Joe]

On the beach (one side relieved from heat, likely onshore wind right there with the fire drawing in air at its base) Lack of combustible material against the house. Metal roof (embers slide off, instead of 'stick' and ignite asphalt shingle roofing). Vacant lot next to the house would also reduce radiated/convected heat hitting the house. The street on another side also reduces that effect, and the trees in between look to be younger or well trimmed. Trees on the other exposed side, while appearing to be more mature, are well set back from the house, reducing the radiant heat from them, and the metal roof would keep embers that fall from igniting the roof.

 A fortuitous combination of factors, which, in concert may have saved the house. (Want to bet there is some blistered paint?)

Makes me wonder if they prayed, too?

[DB]

On the beach (one side relieved from heat, likely onshore wind right there with the fire drawing in air at its base) Lack of combustible material against the house. Metal roof (embers slide off, instead of 'stick' and ignite asphalt shingle roofing). Vacant lot next to the house would also reduce radiated/convected heat hitting the house. The street on another side also reduces that effect, and the trees in between look to be younger or well trimmed. Trees on the other exposed side, while appearing to be more mature, are well set back from the house, reducing the radiant heat from them, and the metal roof would keep embers that fall from igniting the roof.

 A fortuitous combination of factors, which, in concert may have saved the house. (Want to bet there is some blistered paint?)

Makes me wonder if they prayed, too?

Another biggie is attic vents. Vents that have large enough openings for embers to blow in are a major fire risk.

[Smokin Joe]

Another biggie is attic vents. Vents that have large enough openings for embers to blow in are a major fire risk.

True.

[mountaineer]

He's looking increasingly infirm. He doesn't bother returning salutes, I noticed.

Biden completes his fly-by in Maui and heads back to Lake Tahoe for more vacation

https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1693816270897201188

[mountaineer]

FEMA officials are holed up at three five-star, $1,000-A-NIGHT luxury Maui hotels while they do nothing to search, rescue or recover diddly squat.

EXCLUSIVE: FEMA officials are staying at $1,000-a-night luxury hotels in Maui amid recovery efforts in Lahaina

    FEMA officials have been slammed by Maui locals for their slow response to the devastating wildfires that ripped through Lahaina earlier this month
    But DailyMail.com can reveal they are staying at three five-star hotels, Fairmont Kea Lani, Four Seasons, and the Grand Wailea Astoria, during recovery efforts
    Federal government rates for this week at all three resorts start at an eye-watering $1,000, company sources revealed

By James Franey In Maui For Dailymail.Com
Updated: 11:13 EDT, 22 August 2023

Bungling U.S. government bureaucrats dispatched to the Maui disaster zone are shacked up in $1,000-a-night luxury hotels on the Hawaiian island, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been slammed by locals over their slow response to the devastating wildfires that have claimed at least 114 lives and left thousands of people homeless after their houses were scorched to the ground.

But that has not stopped the under-fire agency from splashing taxpayer cash to put up more than 1,000 of its personnel at four bank-breaking resorts in Wailea after the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. for more than a century that caused an estimated $5billion in damage. ...

FEMA teams have checked in at three five-star hotels, the Fairmont Kea Lani, Four Seasons, and the Grand Wailea Astoria where past guests include members of Hollywood's elite.

Their rooms carry price tags that are well out of reach of most hard-working Americans.

Federal government rates for this week at all three resorts start at an eye-watering $1,000, company sources told DailyMail.com. ...

More, plus photos, at Daily Mail

[cato potatoe]

Is it odd that the death toll has been stuck on 114 for several days?  Hawaii.gov must hate its residents to keep them in the dark like this.

[bigheadfred]

Is it odd that the death toll has been stuck on 114 for several days?  Hawaii.gov must hate its residents to keep them in the dark like this.

I was wondering that myself.

[Free Vulcan]

FEMA officials are holed up at three five-star, $1,000-A-NIGHT luxury Maui hotels while they do nothing to search, rescue or recover diddly squat.More, plus photos, at Daily Mail

They aren't even trying to live up to the old Reagan quote of 'We are the Govt and we're here to help'.