Need for water to fight Hawaii fires rekindles fight over stream diversions. Follow live updates – The Denver Post

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER (Associated Press)

Follow live updates about wildfires that have devastated parts of Maui in Hawaii this week, destroying a historic town and forcing evacuations. The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which passed south of the island chain, was partly to blame for strong winds that initially drove the flames, knocking out power and grounding firefighting helicopters.

As Hawaii officials claim there is a shortage of water available for firefighters, they’re pointing a finger at a recent court ruling that required more water be kept in East Maui streams amid drought and competing demands for use.

Environmentalists are pushing back less than a week after the state’s attorney general’s office filed a petition with the Hawaii Supreme Court on Wednesday blaming a senior environmental court judge for there not being enough water for firefighting.

The dispute connects the current blazes to an earlier court battle that pit Hawaiian activists and environmentalists against landowners after decades of diverting water from East Maui streams to sugar cane fields.

As firefighters battled the blazes, a flurry of court actions were lodged last week over access to water. The senior environmental court judge, Jeffrey Crabtree, issued an order temporarily suspending limits on water diversions he imposed in June for 48 hours. He also authorized water distribution requested by Maui fire officials, the county or the state until further notice if the judge could not be reached.

Still, attorneys for Hawaii asked the Supreme Court not to let Crabtree alter the amount of water that could be diverted or to put a hold on his restrictions until the state’s petition is resolved.

The judge “substituted his judgment for that of the agency,” the petition said, referring to the Board of Land and Natural Resources. “As a result, there was not enough permitted water to the battle the wildfires.”

Wayne Tanaka, executive director of Sierra Club, said Monday that the attorney general’s office exaggerated the effect of water diversion caps on firefighting.

“It’s a shameless exploitation of this horrible tragedy,” he said. “The central Maui reservoirs are of no use to west Maui, where most of the devastation is ongoing.”

He said he’s concerned the state is willing to go to these lengths to exploit the tragedy to help a private company monopolize water.

The attorney general’s office said in a statement Monday that former sugar plantation land owner Alexander & Baldwin uses water for wetting the ground for preventative fire suppression, and that Crabtree’s previous orders affect only the central Maui area water supply and “does not directly affect the water situation for Lahaina.”

Representatives for Alexander & Baldwin and the East Maui Irrigation Company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. A spokesperson for the Board of Land and Natural Resources said they do not comment on pending litigation.

Federal officials say more than 3,000 people in Maui have registered for various kinds of federal assistance — a number that’s expected to grow. FEMA Director of Operations for Response and Recovery Jeremy Greenberg told reporters on Monday that the agency was distributing aid, including $700 one-time payments for critical needs such a water and medical supplies as well as lodging paid for by FEMA.

The Biden administration and the Hawaiian government has launched a transitional shelter assistance program for residents in need of housing, letting them move to hotels or motels, FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters Monday at the White House briefing.

“We’re not taking anything off the table and we’re going to be very creative in how we use our authorities to help build communities and help people find a place to stay for the longer term,” Criswell said.

The Biden administration is seeking $12 billion in additional money for the government’s disaster relief fund as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress. Criswell said that “we do have adequate funding to do the response that we’re doing right now,” but that additional money will be needed to continue all of the other ongoing recovery projects through September.

The National Weather Service is monitoring Tropical Storm Greg, which is passing well to the south of Hawaii with minimal effects expected. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Liaison Da’Vel Johnson said they’re mindful of drought and dry conditions on the island but there aren’t any fire-related hazards in effect.

The U.S. National Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard are assisting with recovery efforts in the communities reeling from fires in Maui, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said on Monday.

However, no active duty forced are involved yet, Ryder said. That raises questions as to why not — Hawaii is home to tens of thousands of active duty military personnel, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and major Navy and Air Force installations, with ships and aircraft that could assist in flying in supplies or personnel.

Ryder said those forces are ready to provide whatever support is requested by Hawaii, but that rushing in resources too quickly could create additional logistics problems for rescue operations on the ground.

The multi-agency fire response has already been stymied by logistical issues and communication challenges, particularly during evacuations when sirens failed to sound and roadblocks hindered residents leaving.

“Indo-Pacom is on a hair trigger to be able to support as necessary,” Ryder said. “Everyone fully understands the pain that people are experiencing right now. We want to do everything we can help. But we also don’t want to contribute to the problem by sending unnecessary capabilities that then will hinder any type of emergency response.”

So far 250 Hawaii Army National Guard and Air National Guard members are assisting recovery operations, Army National Guard helicopters have dropped more than 189,000 gallons of water on the wildfires, the Army Corps of Engineers have sent debris removal teams and power experts and the Army Reserve has provided space to collect and distribute supplies, Ryder said.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says the number of people missing after the wildfires on Maui is dropping as people make contact with relatives and friends. But Green said that “we are prepared for many tragic stories.”

The governor spoke during a recorded interview that was aired Monday on “CBS Mornings.” He said that search teams “will find 10 to 20 people per day, probably, until they finish.” Green said the efforts are “probably going to take 10 days,” although he cautioned that “it’s impossible to guess.”

Green said that a comprehensive review will be conducted in the wake of frustrations that sirens and other warnings did not reach or alert residents to the fires. He said the review is “not to find fault in anyone but to say why this worked and this didn’t work.”

The governor noted that medical personnel are not treating more people with burns because the fire “was so perilous that it took lives” and “didn’t leave survivors.” Because the fire was moving so fast, Green said that “it’s unlikely that much could have been done except, of course, moving people out before, and that’s what we’ll talk about.”

Oprah Winfrey has visited an emergency shelter on the fire-ravaged island of Maui to highlight the plight of evacuees.

Hawaii News Now reports that Winfrey said on her visit Sunday that it’s critical that aid gets to residents fast. The TV icon is also a part-time Maui resident.

Winfrey warned that news crews will eventually depart from the destruction, while the world will move on. But she said that “we’re all still going to be here trying to figure out what is the best way to rebuild … I will be here for the long haul, doing what I can.”

Winfrey spoke outside the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku. She said she has delivered personal hygiene products, towels and water in recent days.

Winfrey said the most pressing matter is finding places for people to stay. Winfrey added that her “biggest concern is having the organization that’s needed to get the money that people want to send directly to the people.”

A state official in Hawaii says the search-and-rescue operation in Maui is taking painstaking efforts to find survivors and victims of last week’s deadly mass fire.

Jeff Hickman is the director of public affairs for the Hawaii Department of Defense. He said on NBC’s “Today” show that teams are “going street by street, block by block between cars, and soon they’ll start to enter buildings.”

Hickman said the Hawaii National Guard has over 110 personnel assisting Maui County with the search and rescue operation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is also on the ground. He said they have about 400 personnel and are providing dogs trained in finding cadavers.

Hickman added that the efforts are “going to start to move a little faster than they have in the past couple of days. And hopefully we bring some closure to those on Maui.”

The number of confirmed deaths stood at 96 around 9 p.m. Sunday, Maui County said in a statement. That number is expected to rise.

Former President Barack Obama has appeared in a video promoting a live telethon on Monday to raise funds for the American Red Cross of Hawaii in support of its relief effort for wildfire victims.

Malama Maui, hosted by KHON-TV, is scheduled to be held from 5 am. to 10 a.m. on the local news station.

“As someone who grew up in Hawaii, someone who has taken my family to enjoy the incredible beauty of that island and the hospitality of the people of Lahaina, we now find ourselves mourning the lives that are lost,” Obama said.

He noted “thoughts and prayers are not enough” and asked the public to help the Red Cross and Malama Maui “provide direct support to people who are desperately in need.”

The KHON website provided a phone number and a Red Cross link to make donations.

The Maui Police Department updated the number of confirmed deaths to 96 around 9 p.m. Sunday, Maui County said in a statement.

In a video update released earlier on Sunday, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said more than 2,700 structures were destroyed in Lahaina and “an estimated value of $5.6 billion has gone away.”

Green said the response has been “comprehensive” in the past several days: “We are bringing the full force of government to try to do all we can to alleviate suffering.”

FEMA is overseeing the federal response in Hawaii with 416 personnel including FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

Green said President Joe Biden has “authorized the full force of the federal government in support of us.”

A federal urban search and rescue team will be accompanied by 20 dogs that can locate the places where people have perished.

“I will tell you this, as a physician, it is a harrowing sight in Maui,” Green said. “When those providers, the police and this division, do come across scenes in houses or businesses it is very difficult for them because they know, ultimately, they will be sharing with our people that there have been more fatalities. I do expect the numbers to rise.”

Associated Press journalists Sam Metz in Salt Lake City; Tara Copp and Josh Boak in Washington; Ty O’Neil and Claire Rush in Lahaina, Maui and Audrey McAvoy and Jennifer Kelleher in Honolulu contributed to this report.

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