Missed communications and blocked evacuation routes: New report details problems and heroism from Maui’s disastrous wildfires
CNN
An investigation of the catastrophic Maui wildfires that killed 101 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and left $6 billion in damages reveals a spate of problems with emergency preparation and coordination before and during the disaster.
An investigation of the catastrophic Maui wildfires that killed 101 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and left $6 billion in damages reveals a spate of problems with emergency preparation and coordination before and during the disaster. Among them: Chief officers and some Maui Fire Department staff used “WhatsApp” for situational awareness updates, but not everyone in the department used the app. And there was “minimal” pre-positioning of staff and equipment after the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning prior to the four major wildfires breaking out on August 8, 2023. But the new 84-page report produced by the Western Fire Chiefs Association also acknowledges the “whole island’s limited resources, which were extremely challenged by the scope and scale of the collective incidents.” “After conducting over 200 interviews and reviewing numerous data sets, it is clear that the four major wildfires pushed the (Maui Fire Department) to an unprecedented level of strain. Despite this, the collective actions by MFD and law enforcement saved many lives and property across the island,” the report says. “Nearly every staff member and vehicle resource of MFD on Maui was deployed. The emergency response system did not break but rather it found itself outmatched by the extreme weather and fire conditions. Staff members endured shifts of 36 hours or more and risked their lives in a valiant effort to stop the spread of the fires and save lives.” The report was released one day before Hawaii’s Attorney General Anne Lopez is expected to announce the first wave of findings from an investigation by her office and the Fire Safety Research Institute on Wednesday.
The Senate voted Wednesday, to confirm former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.
Elon Musk acknowledged Tuesday that there might not have been a federal plan to spend $50 million on condoms for Gaza – two weeks after the White House press secretary told the false story at an official briefing and more than a week after the president baselessly doubled the phony figure to $100 million.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the war between Ukraine and Russia “must end,” that Kyiv joining NATO is unrealistic, and that the US will no longer prioritize European and Ukrainian security as the Trump administration shifts its attention to securing the US’ own borders and deterring war with China.
The phrase “El que se enoja, pierde,” (“he who gets angry, loses”) is a popular refrain in Mexico.
Officials in Sangamon County, Illinois, have agreed to a $10 million settlement with the family of Sonya Massey –– a Black woman who was shot and killed by law enforcement in her home last year.
The inspector general of the US Agency for International Development was fired on Tuesday, a day after his office released a report critical of the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East is leaving Russia with Marc Fogel, an American teacher who was jailed in Russia and deemed “wrongfully detained” by the United States, according to a statement from National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
The novelist Salman Rushdie showed a jury his blinded right eye on Tuesday as he testified against the man charged with trying to murder him at a talk at a rural New York venue in 2022.
Conservative firebrand Steve Bannon pleaded guilty to defrauding donors in a fundraising effort to build a wall along the southern US border in a deal that allowed him to avoid prison.
Two American tourists were reportedly bitten by a shark while swimming in the Bahamas, authorities said.
The Trump administration’s effort to cut back on federal funding for the National Institute of Health for research programs at universities and medical systems has been blocked nationwide.
CNN’s 5 Things AM brings you the news you need to know every morning.
Rather than take judges out of the national debate over abortion, as the 2022 Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe V. Wade promised to do, that ruling has unleashed a new wave of legal questions – including how to settle disputes between the states about whether their abortion laws can be applied outside their borders.