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Thanks for checking!  We're fine...Oahu had some wind damage, but no fires.

Maui is a bona fide, and still unfolding, disaster.  Keep the good folks there in your prayers, if that's your thing. Old Lahaina was a very special place and its recovery will take a long time.  Thousands of people lost everything: family, homes, livelihood. Hard to get one's head around.

The videos that are coming on line are terrifying.  Our family doesn't know anyone from Lahaina but everybody knows someone who knows someone from there, if that makes sense.  One or two degrees of separation, at the most. Hawaii is a small place, especially athletically.

We also know many Oahu folks who are now intimately involved in what's happening there. The situation will continue to have a state-wide effect since so many thousands of people affected.

There's one clarification I'd like to make because of the well-meaning but inaccurate perceptions I'm seeing on various on-line communities (not this one!).  No one was prepared for how strong the winds were last week.  Yes, there was a hurricane that was moving east to west about 500 miles south and on a line parallel to the island chain.  We all knew that and we took precautions in proportion to what we thought the threat would be. But because the hurricane was so far away, the persistent 80mph gusts (for about 36 hours) that made the fire so bad were absolutely not expected. I ignored the wind warnings because Hawaii has experienced far less windy conditions from many other hurricanes that were much much closer to the islands.  This fire was its own perfect storm of non-native vegetation that acted like gasoline poured on the fire, the extreme winds, and the worsening drought conditions.

Thanks again for all your support. Maui needs it.

What I want to know is why is the media not reporting that the actual death toll is likely to be in the many hundreds; if not thousand plus?   I don't think anyone intentionally set the fires via laser or anything crazy like that.  BUT I do think that some very wealthy people are now dreaming of buying the land and rebuilding the town in their vision of a utopia.  We can agree to disagree. 

What I want to know is why is the media not reporting that the actual death toll is likely to be in the many hundreds; if not thousand plus?   I don't think anyone intentionally set the fires via laser or anything crazy like that.  BUT I do think that some very wealthy people are now dreaming of buying the land and rebuilding the town in their vision of a utopia.  We can agree to disagree.

I didn't realize (mainland?) media was not reporting that a higher number of casualties is expected.

Hawaii local news has consistently quoted authorities who have been blunt about the death toll likely climbing much higher than the current report of 106 souls. At least 2/3 of the properties in Lahaina have yet to be searched.  Plus, when authorities have revisited areas that HAVE been searched  they're finding even more remains.

There are also reports that any future land sales may first have to be offered to Maui residents and then other Hawaii residents.  Not sure if that's accurate or legal but it's definitely true that locals are worried about being displaced even more than they already have been.

Last edited by smokeminside

Smoke.  if you check out USAtoday, cnn, msnbc, fox, whatever webpage this morning; this story has already mostly disappeared from the front pages and it is rare that anyone has mentioned the likely toll.  To me, it is the biggest human disaster in US since 9/11.   Heck I know someone planning to go to Maui on vacation soon.  I can't imagine doing that. 

I didn't realize (mainland?) media was not reporting that a higher number of casualties is expected.

Hawaii local news has consistently quoted authorities who have been blunt about the death toll likely climbing much higher than the current report of 106 souls. At least 2/3 of the properties in Lahaina have yet to be searched.  Plus, when authorities have revisited areas that HAVE been searched  they're finding even more remains.

There are also reports that any future land sales may first have to be offered to Maui residents and then other Hawaii residents.  Not sure if that's accurate or legal but it's definitely true that locals are worried about being displaced even more than they already have been.

Of course, news coverage may differ depending upon your location and the source, but what I have heard multiple times is that "the death toll is currently ____...but only a very small (this week I'd heard 3% reported) impacted area had been fully searched" (with the clear implication that this number was likely to grow).  We are on the mainland.  Our thoughts, best wishes, and prayers are with those impacted by this tragedy.

Last edited by ILoveBaseball04

After 5 years, I continue to have "bad dreams" of the Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa, California.

Over 5,000 homes, business were destroyed. Several insurance companies have withdrawn from the State, bldg costs doubled. I was ordered by City police to depart my home later returned. Now we all have a "go bag".

With the Area Code games and Goodwill Series and my son's baseball time at UH, I have many friends on the Islands. My "prayers" are sent daily.

Bob

Last edited by Consultant
@Consultant posted:

Smoke;

Are you aware of this baseball program at https://goswords.com/sports/baseball ? Division 2 with HPU and UH/Hilo.

Bob

Yes, I am. Brand new program, whose coaches have been UHawaii assistants in the past.   They pretty much initiated the club baseball scene in Hawaii about ten years ago so they know EVERYONE in the Hawaii baseball community.

Chaminade won't have its own field but Hawaii Pacific has done okay without its own field.  There are publicly owned options, though for Chaminade, they're at least a 20 minute drive away.

I'd be happy if my youngest decided to give Div 2 a shot and come home to try to play there. A LOT of local kids who go the mainland will now try to stay home.

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