#hurricane dora

[yessoupy]

Maui's leeward side is on fire, Lahaina and all its cultural history burned to the ground. Not only are homes gone, but businesses too. Homes, jobs, and lives lost. Please visit the above link and donate what you can. Hawaiian Air's mileage program, if you're enrolled, allows you to donate your miles (what I did with my languishing miles). Can't donate money, miles, time, or blood? Share the link to your social circles.

[karadin]

Biden declares emergency island of Maui devestated by wildfires

Much of Lahaina, a touristic and economic hub of 9,000 people, has been destroyed, and hundreds of families have been displaced. Hundreds of structures have also been impacted, including several historical sites that date to the 1800s.

Most of the fires on Maui — fueled in part by violent winds from Hurricane Dora churning around 800 miles away — have not yet been contained.

[mcb3k]

Death toll climbs from fires burning in Hawaii, county reports

At least 36 people have died in the Lahaina fire in Hawaii, Maui County wrote in a statement posted to the county website Wednesday evening. Wildfires, whipped by strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing far to the south, took the island of Maui by surprise, leaving behind burned-out cars on once busy streets and smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings had stood. Flames roared throughout the night, forcing adults and children to dive into the ocean for safety.

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/09/1192865955/wildfires-across-hawaii-burn-homes-spurring-evacuations-and-an-emergency-declara

[rogalion]

she sure is.

[lambentplume]

Maui Fires & How to Support Relief Efforts

(Posted on 8/10/23) Hi, I'm Jae and my family is from Lāhainā. I watched my hometown burn down this week. The fires caused immeasurable loss in my community so I'd like to spread awareness of the situation as well as provide links to support local organizations directly assisting survivors. I'm pretty sure most of my following is Not local so I'm writing with intent to inform people outside the situation, but if you're reading this and happen to have family in the affected area that isn't accounted for, message me and I can send you the links to the missing persons tracking docs + more localized info!! If you'd like to skip down to how to help and follow community organizations, scroll to the bottom of the post after the image.

Earlier this week, Hurricane Dora passed south of the Hawaiian Islands, bringing strong wind gusts that caused property damage across the islands. On Tuesday August 8, high winds caused sparks to fly in the middle of Lāhainā town, knocking out power lines and immediately igniting drought-ridden grasses. The fire spread quickly and destroyed the entire center of town, the harbor, and multiple neighborhoods including Hawaiian Homes (housing specifically for Native Hawaiians), parts of Lahainaluna, basically all of Front Street, and low-income housing units. There is only one public road in and out of town, and after a very hectic evacuation period that road has been mostly closed off except to emergency responders, thus it is extremely difficult for anyone to leave town to get help. The nearest hospital is 20 miles away in Wailuku, and most grocery stores in town have burnt down.

As of Thursday, August 10, over 1,000 acres have been burned and 271 structures (including homes, schools, and other community gathering places) have been destroyed. Cell service is still extremely spotty, many of the surrounding neighborhoods deemed safe for evacuees are still without utilities. There are currently confirmed 53 deaths but that number is expected to increase as search-and-rescue efforts continue. Countless families have been displaced and many have lost the homes they lived in for generations. Places of deep historical significance have been reduced to ash, including the gravesites of Hawaiian royalty, the old Lāhainā courthouse where items of cultural significance were stored, and Na ‘Aikane o Maui Cultural Center. To add further context: Lāhainā has a population of about 13,000 residents. EVERYONE I know has been impacted in some way--at best forced to evacuate, at worst their house was burnt to the foundation, they cannot find a loved one, etc. I'm still trying to track down family members and it's been over two days. My neighbors down the street had homes last week and now many don't have ANYTHING. The hotels are taking in residents (tourists are also being STRONGLY urged to leave so that locals can recover). Without open access to the rest of the island, Lāhainā residents are now dependent on whatever people had in their homes already as well as disaster relief efforts coming in, but it's been difficult to organize and mobilize due to the location + conditions. People who have made it out are in shelters where no blankets or medicine were provided. Friends and acquaintances from neighbor islands are preparing aid to send over. Community response has been incredible, but the toll on the town has been immeasurable. My parents were desperately walking through town yesterday, my mom sounded absolutely hollow talking about it on the phone with me. It's horrifying. Below is a satellite map with data from the NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System showing the impacted areas from the past week; all of the red blotches were on fire at some point in the last three days.

Here are ways you can help:

If you have the means to donate:

Here are three donation sites verified by Maui Rapid Response, which also lists FAQs for people who are wondering about next steps.

Hawaiʻi Community Foundation - Maui Strong Fund accepts international credit cards. Maui United Way

Maui Mutual Aid Non-monetary ways to support:

If you know anyone who is planning to travel to ANY Hawaiian island, not just Maui, tell them to cancel their trip. Resources are extremely limited as is. Advocate for climate change mitigation efforts locally, wherever that is for you. The fire was exacerbated by drought conditions that have worsened due to climate change.

Lastly, remember that these are people's HOMES that burned, and Native Hawaiian cultural artifacts that have been lost. Stop thinking of Hawaiʻi (or any "tourist destination" location, really) as an "escape" or a "paradise." If that's the only way you recognized my home... I'm glad I got your attention somehow, but I would ask that you challenge that perspective and prioritize local and native voices. For transparency, I don't currently live in Lāhainā, I've been following efforts from Honolulu. My parents and brother have been updating me and I've been following friends and family who are doing immediate response work. I'm doing my best to find reliable and current sources, but if I need to update something, please let me know. If you're going to try to convince me that tourism is necessary for our recovery, news flash ***IT'S NOT***!

Thanks for reading.

[tymika-rose]

Aloha to everyone who comes across this post,

If you don’t know- Maui, Hawai’i has underwent the most devastating, traumatic tragedy thus far. The presence of Hurricane Dora has caused great winds to pick up rapidly, causing destruction & a mass wildfire to spread; completely engulfing the historic town- Lāhainā.

Homes were burnt to ashes, businesses, schools, churches EVERYTHING. The people of Lāhainā have experienced a burdening loss of their land & home, some have lost a pet, or/and a family member💔There are still ppl missing; bodies still being found (floating in the ocean, burnt in cars with their ohana or holding on to their other half )

It is truly like a scene out of a movie, but worse. An apocalyptic scene. A destructive heartbreak to all of Hawai’i. All in all, this is history in the making.

I am sharing this hoping it reaches those near & far so the word can spread. If you feel it in your heart to help in any way possible please read each photo thoroughly, repost, share, follow, donate, or simply just understand that right now Maui is not open for travel. Right now Maui residents are stranded; no running water, electricity, food, clothes, gasoline, cell service etc.

They need time to come back from this. WE need time to HELP them; right now all the people of Hawai’i have been coming together to help but tourism will only be getting in the way; will only be using up the valuable resources that the people of Lāhainā need more than ever right now.

If you reach this, Mahalo🤍🤙🏽

the tagged profile mentioned in the pictures are on instagram- please follow for updates & resources/ information.

Other accounts that are good to follow on ig in regards to the Lāhainā Fire:

@gem.in.eye

@hawanemusic

@kakoo_haleakala

@mehanaokala

[conspiring-limabean]

I'm surprised I haven't seen any info posts about it yet but please have your hearts out for the wildfires in Hawaii. Towns have been abruptly destroyed in fast-moving fires and resources/firefighting aid have been difficult to deliver due to hurricane winds. When I wrote this 6 people were confirmed dead and within a day that count has already climbed to 36 (Thurs, 8/10/23).

I haven't been able to find any places to lend support to except some sources saying that the Maui Mutual Aid Fund is responding (but that may be because it's too soon for groups to organize support funds since afaik these wildfires sprouted out of nowhere in the span of 2 days), so please keep an eye out and share if you know of places to lend support

[dailyoverview]

We’re continuing to recap some of 2023’s biggest events, as seen from space. In early August, a series of wildfires broke out in Hawaii, predominantly on the island of Maui. Exacerbated by dry conditions and winds from nearby Hurricane Dora, the fires destroyed more than 2,200 buildings and resulted in more than 100 deaths. This image focuses on Lahaina, a historic town in West Maui that was 80% destroyed by the blazes.

20.873889°, -156.677500°

Source imagery: Maxar

[lem0nademouth]

my unsolicited opinions on all the eurovision grand final songs

i promise i’ll shut up after this

🇦🇲 Jako by Ladaniva - fun! makes me wanna dance! love the Balkan folk elements in the instrumentals. v happy they made it to grand finals.

🇦🇹 We Will Rave by Kaleen - in my top five. would bet my bottom dollar every club in europe will be blasting this all summer.

🇭🇷 Rim Tim Tagi Dim by Baby Lasanga - its fine. not sure how it was the projected winner. like its not a bad song, its just not the best of the bunch.

🇨🇾 Liar by Silia Kapsis - cute and fun! will add to my rotation of “men ain’t shit” songs.

🇪🇪 (nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi by 5miinust x Puuluup - not a huge fan but i see the appeal. also remind me to never learn Estonian.

🇫🇮 No Rules! by Windows95Man - didn’t stand out to me but it might be bc i know approximately 15 white boys who make music exactly like this (no shade i promise)

🇫🇷 Mon Amour by Slimane - gonna out myself as someone who had a French pop phase and say this is a solid B- by my standards. France, send Amir Haddad in 2025.

🇬🇪 Firefighter by Nutsa Buzaladze - another top five pick. powerful, defiant, infectious.

🇩🇪 Always On The Run by Isaak - i was shocked by how much i enjoyed this song. not in my top five, but its damn good and i’m gonna be listening to Isaak more in the future.

🇬🇷 ZARI by Marina Satti - had a v good time with this one. really love the blend of musical traditions that come through.

🇮🇪 Doomsday Blue by Bambie Thug - i wanted to like this song. i really did. but besides it not being my sound, it also just kind of falls flat technically? idk, its just. not that good.

🇮🇱 Hurricane by Eden Golan - powerful vocals, heart wrenching performance. regardless of the results, i desperately need a version with the original lyrics.

🇮🇹 La noia by Angelina Mango - the former classical music student in me loves a nice Italian bop. wasn’t blown away, but still enjoyed the song.

🇱🇻 Hollow by Dons - i like it! good job latvia!

🇱🇹 Luktelk by Silvester Belt - not my sound, not a fan, not gonna yuck ur yum if u like it tho.

🇱🇺 Fighter by Tali - makes! me! wanna! DANCE! wasn’t expecting French but u learn something new every day!

🇳🇱 Europapa by Joost Klein - no joke when i first heard this song i thought it was a bit. like i thought this was a literal joke. how the fuck did this qualify. *note: i hated this song before joost got disqualified*

🇳🇴 Ulveham by Gåte - what is going on in scandanavia w the dogshit eurovision entries

🇵🇹 Grito by iolanda - fuck me up on this. not a top five but still a banger

🇷🇸 Ramonda by Teya Dora - im pretty indifferent on this one

🇸🇮 Veronika by Raiven - again, indifferent. didnt love it didnt hate it

🇪🇸 ZORA by Nebulossa - fun party song but not much more than that

🇸🇪 Unforgettable by Marcus & Martinus - not my fave. send Omar Rudberg next year.

🇨🇭 The Code by Nemo - mazel tov on the win, but im gonna be so honest this was like a 6/10 for me. also why is y’alls flag not flag shaped.

🇺🇦 Teresa & Maria by alyona alyona + Jerry Heil - OH BABY. OH BABY. BANGER. BOP. JAM. CANNOT STOP LISTENING. I AM SO OBSESSED.

🇬🇧 Dizzy by Olly Alexander - i am begging the UK to 1. compete as separate countries and 2. stop fucking sending the most mid songs on the planet

final personal top ten

1. Ukraine 🇺🇦

2. Israel 🇮🇱

3. Austria 🇦🇹

4. Luxembourg 🇱🇺

5. Georgia 🇬🇪

6. Germany 🇩🇪

7. Italy 🇮🇹

8. Portugal 🇵🇹

9. Latvia 🇱🇻

10. Armenia 🇦🇲

[kragehund-est]

the situation in hawaii has gotten really bad. we're at the peak of dry season and the strong winds from hurricane dora spread the fires rapidly. on oahu i pass at least 1-2 different fires a day going to work.

it's nothing compared to maui though, my coworker's entire hometown was destroyed. not just his childhood home or a swath of the area damaged, like the entire town has been wiped off the map.

[morbidology]

Terry Westerfield, 11, was always protective of his little brother, Alan, who was seven-years-old. They lived with their mother, Margie, who worked as a beautician. She and the boys' father had divorced and she had since remarried a man called Carl Bock. 

It was the 12th of September, 1964, and hurricane Dora was tearing through Georgia, making its way to Cumberland County, North Carolina, where the brothers lived. Margie was at work that afternoon. Carl was said to have arrived home at around 11AM.

In the late morning, both of the brothers were outside playing with neighborhood kids before retreating back inside. Afterwards, when their friends knocked on the door asking if Alan could come out and play, Carl told them he was in his bedroom as a punishment. Terry was last seen on his bicycle outside at around 1PM. 

At approximately 4PM, a neighbors saw Carl leave the home. He later told police he had dropped the boys off a Broadway Theatre to see a new movie, adding that he arranged to pick them up at 8PM. Alan and Terry were regulars at the theatre; some workers reported that they saw them that evening while others were adamant that they were not there.

When Margie returned from work, Carl told her that her sons were at the theatre and she went out with a friend for the evening. When Carl went to pick them up at the assigned time, they were nowhere to be found. He said he assumed that Margie had collected them but when she returned late at night, she didn’t have the boys with her. A search ensued but they were nowhere to be found. 

Their uncle, John McDougald, was adamant that Carl was somehow involved in the disappearance. Carl was an ex-military policeman and John believed that the cops helped him cover up the disappearance. Margie and Carl later divorced and she too considered him to be involved somehow. Carl was shipped overseas a year after their disappearance.

Alan and Terry haven’t been seen or heard from since the day they disappeared.

[bazaarwords]

thanks @shipsa-hoy​ !

-

The Halo’s power still hums in her veins, gentle. An old friend.

Superion—Suzanne—feels calmer now than she has in an age, all her edges smoothed out. In opposition to the storm raging around her, she has settled in its center. The eye of the hurricane, the loop of a halo. It aches, too, but she understands.

“We should pray,” she says, “for Yasmine, Beatrice, and everyone we’ve lost.”

When she closes her eyes to pray, it’s as if something takes her by the hand, pulls her—urgent, to its side.

It’s Ava.

She’s standing at the window, arms crossed, coiled tight as a spring. Maybe it’s only the Halo’s power, binding them together with thick cord, wire, roots, veins. She thinks better of that. Because Suzanne knows all of her girls, and even without a resurrection, anyone can see that Ava’s heart is breaking.

“Fuck prayer,” Ava says. Her voice is high and thin and it cuts the air like a razor. “Fuck that.”

“Ava,” she hears herself scolding. Just a habit, not the truth.

“You know what? Fine,” Ava spins around, not looking at anyone in particular, eyes bright and unfocused. “I pray to God that someone else gets to beat the shit out of Adriel first, because I’m going to rip his fucking—“

“Ava,” it’s Camila this time, not scolding. She stands, takes Ava’s hand. It’s shaking, bad enough to see from a distance. “Please, just breathe for a moment. We’ll figure something out.”

“When?” Ava snaps. “Tomorrow? The next day? After he’s brainwashed half the goddamn world? Yasmine is still in there, and—“

It’s a split second and her expression crumbles like a building demolished, collapsing from inside out.

Suzanne remembers this pain. Loss. She knows it well from too many fallen, too many, and too young. She also remembers when the Halo had ripped itself from the skin and sinew of her back how the physical pain had meant nothing—nothing against what happened inside. How, even when she could see the thing, bloody and bright, it was an entity separate from herself. She hadn’t known then if she would ever feel its warmth again.

But she has, now. Maybe that is enough. Enough, at least, to help Ava.

Ava, who is gone in the blink of an eye. Camila and Dora exchange looks, and Superion rises with all the sureness she’d thought lost.

“Get as much rest as you can,” she tells the girls, “I’ll check on her.”

Her body almost protests the ease of her joints, confused by what they can do. She’ll have to be patient with herself, as she’s about to be with Ava. Ava, who’s caved in on herself, who’s crumpled into a ball on the edge of her bed, who’s pulled loss from its wretched place and really, truly looked at it. Face to face.

“Ava,” she says, gentle.

Ava looks up, face wet with tears. Her heart breaks for this young woman. Ava comes to her and embraces her like a daughter, and true to her title, Suzanne returns the sentiment.

“I did this,” Ava weeps, repeating it over and over.

“No. No, Ava.”

“I—“ She takes a hiccuping breath. “I did this to her.”

It isn’t as if it doesn’t hurt, knowing that they’d had to leave some behind. Superion feels their loss, keen as anything. This, however? Ava’s anguish? Something else entirely.

“Beatrice is strong, Ava. Stronger than most.”

“I know that. I know.” Her voice grows small. “I love her, Mother Superion. I can’t lose her.”

Here we are, she thinks.

“I know that,” she replies, an echo. “I know.”

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends, she thinks.

“You won’t lose her,” she tells Ava. She isn’t lost, she tells herself.

[ilovedig]

IT'S KEY WEST DAY!!!!

I’m just bringing key memories. ‘What about the night we cried?’ When I said ‘key’, it came to my mind; it was actually in Key West in Florida, on a Beatles tour. That line there – we had to cancel a show in Jacksonville because of an approaching hurricane. So we went down to Key West which was nothing then, just a few houses. I understand now people say it’s a huge place, like Vegas! So anyway, it was this desolate little house, and we just sat and drank a lot and got totally wrecked, and we had very in-depth conversations like you do when you’re just stuck in a room with a few guys. But I mean normally at parties and that we’d be able to handle it but this was just stuck in a room with nothing to do but wait until we could go to Jacksonville. It was a number of days, and that meant basically just drink, all the time. It was very emotional because we cried; it was the only time we’d cried together – “Oh. I love you” One of those drunken crying sessions. But again that was one of the memories when I’m talking to John “What about the night we cried?” you know.

Also to this Paul sex moment thing. Genuinely don't know what's going on here, but it feels like it deserves commemoration.

[cruger2984]

Hetavision '24 - THE DARK TOURNAMENT GRAND FINAL!!

Sweden (62nd finals appearance): Marcus & Martinus - Unforgettable

Ukraine (18th finals appearance): Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil - Teresa & Maria

Germany (66th finals appearance): Isaak - Always on the Run

Luxembourg (38th finals appearance): Tali - Fighter

The Netherlands (DISQUALIFIED)

Israel (39th finals appearance): Eden Golan - Hurricane

Lithuania (17th finals appearance): Silvester Belt - Luktelk (Wait)

Spain (62nd finals appearance): Nebulossa - Zorra

Estonia (19th finals appearance): 5miinust and Puuluup - (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi

Ireland (45th finals appearance): Bambie Thug - Doomsday Blue

Latvia (11th finals appearance): Dons - Hollow

Greece (41st finals appearance): Marina Satti - Zari (Dice)

United Kingdom (65th finals appearance): Olly Alexander - Dizzy

Norway (59th finals appearance): Gåte - Ulveham (Wolf Pelt)

Italy (48th finals appearance): Angelina Mango - La Noia (Boredom)

Serbia (13th finals appearance): Teya Dora - Ramonda

Finland (49th finals appearance): Windows95man - No Rules!

Portugal (46th finals appearance): Iolanda - Grito (Shout)

Armenia (13th finals appearance): Ladaniva - Jako

Cyprus (32nd finals appearance): Silia Kapsis - Liar

Switzerland (52nd finals appearance): Nemo - The Code

Slovenia (17th finals appearance): Raiven - Veronika

Croatia (20th finals appearance): Baby Lasagna - Rim Tim Tagi Dim

Georgia (8th finals appearance): Nutsa Buzaladze - Firefighter

France (65th finals appearance): Silmane - Mon Amour

Austria (49th finals appearance): Kaleen - We Will Rave

[mariacallous]

In an eerie echo of 2018’s Camp Fire, which sped through the town of Paradise, California, destroying 19,000 buildings and killing 85 people, ferocious wildfires are tearing through Maui, forcing some people to flee into the ocean. Much of the town of Lahaina is now ash, and the death toll stands at 36 so far. 

Like so many other places around the world, the island of Maui is being swept into the Age of Flames, also known as the Pyrocene. In places where fire is a natural part of the landscape, like California, wildfires now burn with ever greater ferocity, oftentimes spawning their own towering thunderclouds made of smoke, or obliterating ecosystems instead of resetting them for new growth. And where wildfire was once very rare in the landscape, like Maui, residents and governments are struggling to cope with their descent into the firestorm.  “Hawaii's ecosystem is not adapted to fire. It is destroyed by fire,” says Elizabeth Pickett, co-executive director of the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization. “So we don't have good fire and bad fire. We have bad fire, period.” 

In the immediate term, what’s driving Maui’s fires is what makes wildfires so deadly anywhere in the world: wind. Hurricane Dora, which is churning hundreds of miles to the south, is a low-pressure system. Meanwhile, to Hawaii’s north, a high pressure system has formed. Those opposing systems have created 80-mile-per-hour gusts across Maui, driving the flames forward. Once the fire reaches a town like Lahaina, it easily hops from structure to structure. (California’s wind-driven wildfires have been known to throw embers miles ahead of the actual fire, setting new blazes ahead.)

Maui is in its dry season, but parts of the island were already abnormally parched, to the point of moderate or severe drought, according to the US Drought Monitor. Less moisture in the landscape means that vegetation dries out and piles up, ready to burn. Dry winds exacerbate this problem by scouring the landscape, sucking out any moisture that might remain. In general, as the atmosphere warms with climate change, the air gets thirstier and thirstier, leading to further desiccation. (Hot air can hold more moisture than cold air.)

Historical factors have also conspired to push Maui into the Pyrocene. When Europeans arrived in the late 18th century and established plantations for growing sugarcane and pineapple, they also brought invasive grasses. Now the economics have changed, and those fields lie fallow. But the grasses have spread like a plague. “Those fire-prone invasive species fill in any gaps anywhere else—roadsides, in between communities, in between people’s homes, all over the place,” says Pickett. “At this point, 26 percent of our state is covered in these fire-prone grasses.”

This stuff is highly sensitive to short-term fluctuations in rainfall. The grass will grow like crazy when the rains come, then quickly desiccate when the landscape dries. “When we get these events like we’re seeing these past few days—when the relative humidity really drops low—all those fine fuels become very explosive,” says fire ecologist Clay Trauernicht of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. 

While the contribution of climate change to these Hawaiian fires hasn’t fully been worked out, Trauernicht says, it’s clear that something has gone awry. But between 1920 and 2012, over 90 percent of the state has seen a drying trend. “It's really coming from the firefighters, who are also telling us that they're seeing fire behavior that they haven't seen in 20 years fighting fires on these islands,” Trauernicht says. “The extreme fire behavior coming up out of these grasslands in particular—the erratic movement and rapid spread and the intensity—that's my kind of yardstick. Is climate change affecting fire? It’s definitely making it more challenging to work with.”

Social dynamics are also making these Hawaiian wildfires far more dangerous. People are at the greatest risk along the “wildland-urban interface,” or WUI—the places where human development butts up against vegetation. The town of Paradise was very much like this, with lots of vegetation interspersed with buildings. “Virtually every community in Hawaii is on a wildland-urban interface,” says Pickett. “So we're just like a WUI state, because we have developments that are all adjacent to wildland areas, or surrounded by wildland areas.”

That’s not only putting more people in the path of fast-moving wildfires, but providing more sources of ignition in the first place: cars driving over dry grass, camp fires, fireworks. “Lahaina hasn’t changed much—it’s been where it’s been for a long, long time,” says Trauernicht. “But that landscape around it has gone through some dramatic changes, just within the past couple of decades. And that’s really like the message that we’ve been trying to harp on, is that this is a fuel-management problem.”

Which means it’s a solvable problem. There’s already growing awareness of the dry vegetation issue in Hawaii, Pickett and Trauernicht say. Not only can communities clear more brush, but they can also bolster wetlands, which act as natural firebreaks and support native species. And then, maybe, no other Hawaiian community will have to suffer Lahaina’s fate. “The vegetation is within our control,” says Trauernicht. “Unfortunately, this is the worst outcome you can imagine. And maybe this will make people wake up.”