What the Hell Is Going on in Maui After That Devastating Wildfire?

[mystery-ak]

What the Hell Is Going on in Maui After That Devastating Wildfire?

It was quite the photo-op last August for Presidentish Joe Biden when he got lei'd in Maui for all the cameras in the wake of one of America's deadliest wildfires. But six months later, Biden is accused of neglecting its victims, somebody seems to be slow-walking the recovery process, and conspiracy theories are everywhere.

The worst hit was the town of Lahaina, where more than 100 people were killed, around 70 others injured, three remain missing, and countless buildings and homes were destroyed — more than 2,000. The fires spread quickly due to high winds and — this is where things got weird — civil defense sirens were never activated, despite Hawaii having the world's largest integrated outdoor siren warning system. There are more than 80 such sirens on Maui alone.

Here we are, six months later, and the victims of the Lahaina fire have more questions than answers — and more resentment than government assistance.

https://twitter.com/TruthSlingerX/status/1753071407800754662

Tuesday on TwitterX, Nick Sortor, a frequent government critic and sometimes Tucker Carlson guest, claimed that the Lahaina cleanup "literally just started roughly two weeks ago," and he wants to know why. He also posted:

    There are at least 2100 properties charred from the fire

    They’re only clearing an average of 2 lots per weekday so far

    Only seven trucks are running cleanup

more
https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2024/02/06/what-the-hell-is-going-on-in-maui-after-that-devastating-wildfire-n4926162

[mountaineer]

Nearly a year after this article was published, here's a little update:

18 Months After Wildfires Destroyed Some 2,000 Homes on Maui, Only 3 Have Been Rebuilt
A thicket of red tape has made the island's rebuilding efforts painfully slow.
Christian Britschgi | 1.22.2025 3:15 PM

As California looks to rebuild from the wildfires that ripped through the Los Angeles area, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has reportedly been in conversations with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green about how to best go about the process.

If California's efforts replicate Hawaii's, the road to recovery will be long indeed.

In August 2023, wildfires devastated the island of Maui, completely destroying the town of Lahaina and dealing severe damage to other communities on the island.

Over 2,000 properties with residential structures were either destroyed or suffered major damage, according to data collected by Maui County's Real Property Assessment Division. Those properties include multifamily buildings, meaning the number of individual units damaged or destroyed is likely higher.

All told, 3 percent of the island's housing stock was destroyed in the fires, according to a housing dashboard published by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization.

As of last week, roughly a year and a half since the fires, a total of three of those homes have been rebuilt, according to data shared by the county with Reason. Two of those homes are in Lahaina, and the third one is in the island's Upcountry area. ...

https://reason.com/2025/01/22/18-months-after-wildfires-destroyed-some-2000-homes-on-maui-only-3-have-been-rebuilt/

[rangerrebew]

All those destroyed homes created too much air pollution so the feds decided to leave the owners fend for themselves.

[PeteS in CA]

How many more homes might have been built had the Feds, state, and county/island lowered the hoops through which rebuilding efforts have to jump?

[Smokin Joe]

All those 'protections' over the years for the environment and neighborhood, now come back to bite the formerly grandfathered in right on the ass.

I have seen similar in MD along a Scenic River, rife with Critical Area, buffer zone, and other protections. It took 9 permits to cut down an oak tree planted by an ancestor in the mid 1800s, on land that was in the family over 130 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed.
When what is grandfathered in is destroyed, the rules reset to the latest requirements. What was seen as protection suddenly becomes a massive impediment.
Lahaina will never be the same.
LA? unlikely.