Hawaii Burning
At Least Six People Dead As "Apocalyptic" Fires Tear Through Maui
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Good morning,
Alright let’s soak in these last long days. Today, August 10th will be the last 8 p.m. sunset of the year in NYC. That means that from tomorrow until sometime in May 2024, the sun will set before 8 p.m.
But no worries— we’ve still got some time before Daylight Saving officially ends on Sunday, November 5th.
Have a good one!
Mosheh, Jill, & Courtney
🎙The Mo News Podcast: Talking the dire situation on the ground in Haiti, Poland mobilizing troops to its border with Belarus, and why so many young people are going into puberty early post-pandemic.
🗞 MAUI BURNING
Fires continue to burn in Hawaii, killing at least six people, wounding dozens, destroying hundreds of structures, and forcing thousands of evacuations on the island of Maui. The search and rescue operations are continuing, so state officials are warning that the death toll could climb.
HURRICANE DORA WINDS FUEL THE FLAMES
The fires are being fueled by strong and damaging wind from Category 4 Hurricane Dora, which was passing about 500 miles south of Hawaii. It is close enough to create major winds, but too far to drop any rain on the island.
The winds make fighting the fires that much harder– because in some cases, helicopters couldn’t dump water from the sky.
HELP ON THE WAY
President Biden said Wednesday evening that he has ordered “all available Federal assets” to help combat the wildfires.
The Coast Guard, Marines and Navy are supporting response and rescue efforts.
WHERE ARE THE FIRES?
The town of Lahaina, a tourist and residential area in West Maui has seen extensive destruction (see video below of the aerial view). The more residential area of Kuna in the inland, mountainous region also saw a number of fires.
In some cases, residents had to temporarily flee into the ocean to try to escape the flames. The Coast Guard said it rescued 14 people, including two children, from the water.
NO INFORMATION & NOWHERE TO GO
Getting any type of information has been difficult for tourists and locals. That’s because of massive power outages, cutting cell service and 911 services.
Nearly 2,000 people were stuck at the Kahului Airport in Maui with either canceled flights or just nowhere to go.
About 1,800 people sheltered in place overnight because many highways on the island are still closed.
Hospitals were overwhelmed with burn patients and people suffering from smoke inhalation.
The governor of Hawaii said late last night that the state does not have enough long-term shelter space to accommodate everyone who has lost their homes.
HERITAGE LOST
Historic businesses, homes, temples and cemeteries, where royal figures were buried, have all been lost.
Lahaina’s historic Waiola Church and the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission temple have been destroyed.
The church was established in 1823, and its graveyard, believed to be the first Christian cemetery in Hawaii, is the final resting place for early members of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
HOW TO HELP
Want to help those devastated by the Maui wildfires? Here's how:
Donate to Hawaii Salvation Army
Donate to the Maui Food Bank
Donate to Aloha United Way
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 “Off the charts.” “Disastrous.” “The worst bleaching event that Florida has ever seen.” That’s how scientists are describing the harm being done to Florida’s coral reefs (WASHINGTON POST)
📌 Utah man suspected of threatening President Biden shot and killed as FBI served warrant (AP)
📌 3 white men in pontoon boat charged in Montgomery brawl; Black man with chair sought for questioning. (AL.COM)
📌 PGA Tour commissioner admits to making mistakes in how he rolled out the tour’s surprising deal with rival LIV Golf’s Saudi backers in June (WSJ)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 An American nurse and her daughter have been freed after being kidnapped in Haiti last month (CNN)
📌 Ecuadorian presidential candidate shot dead (BBC)
📌 Poland to send 2,000 troops to reinforce Belarus border (REUTERS)
📌 At least 27 migrants found dead in the desert near Tunisian border with Libya (ABC)
📱SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Verizon wireless phone plans are going up. Here's who will be affected by the price hike (USA TODAY)
📌 Biden orders ban on certain US tech investments in China (REUTERS)
📌 WeWork taps directors with bankruptcy chops after board resignations; (WSJ)
📌 NASA's James Webb Space Telescope spotted a mysterious ‘question mark’ in deep space (BUSINESS INSIDER)
🎥 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 How to command a stage without great dance moves (Taylor’s Version). (NY TIMES)
📌 Dave Portnoy buys back Barstool Sports for $1 (DEADLINE)
📌 Disney+ and Hulu prices are increasing, again (THE VERGE)
📌 Death of Pac 12 continues: Cal, Stanford in limbo as the ACC ponders expansion (AP)
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🗓 ON THIS DAY: AUGUST 10
1793: The Louvre opened in Paris, and it later became the most-visited museum in the world.
1846: The Smithsonian Institution (now made up of a number museums) was founded in Washington, D.C., by the U.S. Congress with funds from English scientist James Smithson— thanks to a unique footnote in his will.
In the event that his only nephew died without any heirs, Smithson said that the whole of his estate would go to “the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”
1993: Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the second woman to serve on the court.
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