Aviva Fried (in the United States) / Photo credit: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP
The death toll from the Hawaii fires reaches 93 and is expected to rise further. Considered the deadliest fire in the last 100 years in the United States, the question arises, were the authorities effective enough? On the spot, the anger of the inhabitants rises.
The death toll from the Hawaii fires continues to grow. The toll of forest fires in Hawaii, already the deadliest in more than a century in the United States, could exceed 100 deaths, fueling criticism of the management of the drama by the authorities. These blazes of exceptional intensity and speed killed 93 people. The question that everyone is now asking is that of the inefficiency of the authorities.
The sirens of the island did not sound
Anger is rising among the residents. Was there a communication problem? What is certain is that the sirens of the island did not sound. Certainly, alerts were sent to the mobile phones of the inhabitants but the network having already been destroyed by the flames, no one received them. Which explains why so many people were trapped when the fire reached them. Residents believed that the situation was under the control of the authorities. And for this reason, they did not immediately evacuate.
The governor of Hawaii defends himself
A report, dating from 2021, had however warned of the high risk of fire, stressing that the measures planned to respond to it were insufficient. But for Hawaii Governor Josh Green, exceptional circumstances are to blame. “The consequences of global warming are a game-changer. We’ve never had this near a city. We’re doing what we can to fund our services. Our firefighters are well prepared. We’ll figure out if we can do better,” said he declared.
The dilapidated infrastructure is also pointed out. At the time of the tragedy, while the firefighters were doing their best to put out the flames, the water distribution system would have stopped working, causing a lack of pressure to supply the fire hoses. If the fire ended up being brought under control, it was mainly because there was nothing left to burn.