As infernos engulfed Maui, emergency management teams were shockingly absent. While the flames raged, 74 emergency officials attended a cushy FEMA meeting just a short flight away on Oahu. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) bigwigs and Center for Homeland Defense and Security honchos were too absorbed in the Pacific Partnership Meeting, allowing one of America’s worst wildfires to decimate Lahaina.
Despite hurricane-force winds stoking the fire, a sense of urgency was nowhere to be found—no blaring alarms, blocked escape routes. Residents claimed a police blockade sealed their fate on Front Street, Lahaina, as the flames closed in.
On that fateful day, vehicles turned to cinders on the streets, boats became torches at sea, and survivors fought through choking smoke and fiery waters. The aftermath revealed a landscape of devastation—blocked roads, torched homes. Over 2,200 residences were obliterated, leaving around 4,500 displaced.
By August 21, 2023, official reports from Maui County and the Maui Police Department declared a death toll of 115. But skepticism is warranted. The FBI, Red Cross, and Maui police maintain a missing persons list with almost 1,000 names. Yet even this list falls short of the shocking reality—over 2,400 kids are missing. Mayor Richard Bissen remains silent as hundreds of children perished in Lahaina. Corporate media’s selective coverage and the government’s inept response are inexcusable.
Hawaii authorities push families to enroll children in schools outside the burn zone. The four Lahaina schools served 3,000 students, yet just 400 reportedly sought refuge elsewhere, with a mere 200 opting for distance learning. A staggering 2,400 students remain unaccounted for in the public school system, without even factoring homeschooled children.
The extent of the children lost in the fires remains a mystery. Some families may never make the decision, victims of the tragedy themselves. Yet officials remain fixated on attributing the fires to “climate change,” evading a deeper investigation into possible causes. The anomalous pattern of destruction—razed homes with unscathed trees nearby—raises questions. Why the lack of scrutiny into potential arson or terror? What’s behind the state’s land confiscation motives? The silence of missing children on major news networks and the government’s evasion of accountability for this disaster are deeply troubling.
