The Resistance Chicks Leah and Michelle Svensson discussed the massive wildfires that devastated the Hawaiian island of Maui and the role of non-native grasses in the blaze's spread.
The Aug. 11 episode of "Headline News: The Resistance Chicks" on Brighteon.TV touched on the disaster that has claimed the lives of more than 110 people as of writing. Michelle, the younger Svensson sibling, said people would often hear about wildfires happening in forests and other places with massive trees. But wildfires in coastal towns such as Lahaina in Maui are rather uncommon.
The elder Svensson Leah noted that Hawaii is known as an agricultural state, with people farming vast plantations of pineapples and sugarcane. When the Aloha State stopped growing sugarcane and pineapples, the giant swaths of land have been filled with non-native grasses. These grasses, Leah noted, are highly combustible when dry.
"Hawaii never had wildfires until they stopped farming. They never had fires because there was nothing there," she said. "Nothing will literally stop a fire because it's dirt and greenery. We know the greenery, obviously, it's not combustible. But these non-native grasses are spreading … and they've taken over all these farms."
She reiterated that the non-native grasses that easily catch fire contributed to the spread of the blaze all around Lahaina. The fire also affected gas and electricity lines in the town.
Leah emphasized that farming is the answer to these wildfires. "If they didn't have fires before, they have fires now because they are not farming [and] doing what God's called [them] to do," she said.
Hawaii governor: Lahaina destruction like "being hit with a bomb"
Leah said Lahaina was wiped off the map because of the wildfires. She also referenced remarks by Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, who said the town's devastation was similar to being hit by a bomb.
"What we've seen today has been catastrophic. We've also seen many hundreds of homes destroyed, and that's going to take a great deal of time to recover from," the governor told reporters during an Aug. 10 news conference. "When you see the full extent of the destruction of Lahaina, it will shock you. It does appear like a bomb went off." (Related: Maui wildfires burn historic town of Lahaina, kill over 90 Hawaiians with hundreds still missing.)
Meanwhile, Michelle played a video clip showing the extent of damage Lahaina suffered. Palm trees, sailboats and buildings were all up in flames. Some people went to the ocean to escape the conflagration that decimated the coastal town. Michelle also mentioned that there were some people who got stuck in their cars as the blaze roared on.
More than 2,000 structures, including blocks of houses, were turned to ruins after the fire. Many celebrities built vacation houses on the former farmlands, turning Maui into a colorful vacation and residential community. But the aftermath of the fire turned this place into a scene of gloom, with a shortage of power and water making things worse.
According to Leah, the total devastation caused by the wildfires burned 80 percent of Lahaina's downtown. Buildings that stood for generations turned into ruins. Michelle commented the while the fire may not be a curse, a direct energy beam could have caused it – opening the possibility that it may have been started on purpose.
Follow Disaster.news for more news about the Maui wildfires.
Watch the Aug. 11 episode of "Headline News: The Resistance Chicks" below. Tune in to the program every Friday at 5-6 p.m. and every Sunday at 5-6 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.
"Headline News: The Resistance Chicks" airs every Friday at 6 p.m. and every Sunday at 5 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.
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