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Fact Check-Green lights in Hawaii sky came from satellite, predate 2023 fires

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Fact Check-Green lights in Hawaii sky came from satellite, predate 2023 fires


A night-time video showing streaks of green light in the sky over Hawaii predates the August 2023 wildfires in the U.S. state by several months.

The lights were filmed by Japan’s Subaru-Asahi Star Camera in January 2023 and emanate from a Chinese weather satellite launched in April 2022.

As wildfires raged in Hawaii in August 2023, social media users posted the footage with the baseless suggestion that it was evidence of “Directed Energy Weapons” that were used to ignite the fires. Examples are visible on Instagram (here) and TikTok (here).

The posts refer to a conspiracy theory that the fires were intentionally started by “Directed Energy Weapons” (DEWs) – a technology that fires high-energy lasers and microwaves at the speed of light, according to the US Government Accountability Office (here).

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The 2023 wildfires in Maui, killed over a 100, making it the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century, Reuters reported (here).

The cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained, more on this in a Reuters explainer (here).

There is no evidence that the blazes were caused using DEWs or laser weapons and the footage in the social media posts predates the disaster by seven months.

The video shows streaks of light appearing in a cloudy night sky over the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii on Jan. 28, 2023, captured by the Subaru-Asahi Star Camera of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). The clip was posted by a YouTube channel run as part of the collaboration between NAOJ and local newspaper publisher Asahi Shimbun (here).

On a webpage dedicated to the telescope, the NAOJ said that the laser lights were from Dqui-1, a Chinese environment monitoring satellite launched in 2022 (here).

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Unfounded claims of DEWs have been a major theme online amidst the wildfires. More fact checks on the topic can be seen (here) and (here).

VERDICT

Miscaptioned. Green lights captured over the night sky in Hawaii in January 2023 predate the August 2023 wildfires.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts (here).





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Hawaii

Hawaiian Electric’s expanded safety strategy aims to reduce wildfire risk

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Hawaiian Electric’s expanded safety strategy aims to reduce wildfire risk


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaiian Electric unveiled a $450 million plan Monday to reduce the risk of wildfires over the next three years.

The wildfire safety strategy includes technical and infrastructure upgrades such as installing sparkless fuses, changing 213 substation relays, installing 53 weather stations in wildfire-prone areas, and managing vegetation and placing heavy-duty insulation on power lines in the highest-risk areas.

“Our 2025-2027 expanded wildfire safety strategy builds upon our past work and that of many others. It is not just a technical roadmap, it is our shared and steadfast commitment to a safer, more resilient Hawaii,” said Shelee Kimura, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric.

HECO also said they want to add more AI-assisted video cameras in high- and medium-wildfire risk areas.

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HECO has already replaced more than 2,000 wooden poles and improved 23 miles of overhead lines, and will begin moving two miles of overhead lines in Lahaina underground.

The utility wants to also create a so-called “watch office” to track wildfire conditions.

“Having this kind of watch office that’s really focused on having the information at the right time, that can make a big difference when you’re talking about hazardous conditions and severe weather,” said HECO Spokesperson Darrin Pai.

HECO confirms Oahu’s west side is one of its fine prone areas and will be among the places it focuses on.

That includes fire mitigation such as removing brush and vegetation from HECO infrastructure.

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“I am grateful this is being done,” said Tiana Wilbur with the Waianae Neighborhood Board.

Two years ago, Wilbur took HNN crews to an area in Makaha Valley that residents warned could be the next “Lahaina”.

She’s hoping HECO’s actions might also send a message to private land owners.

“There was a fire last year. It was very concerning because we took you guys to that area and then there was a fire. SO there is still brush in that area,” said Wilbur.

HECO’s safety plan was first created in 2019, but was updated in 2023 in response to the August Maui wildfires.

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It says some of its funding comes from existing programs, including a federal grant.

The utility added that it is continuing to refine the program and the long-term cost and scope of work are subject to change.

The Public Utilities Commission is now reviewing the plan.



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Hawaii hotels could help LA wildfire survivors, governor says

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Hawaii hotels could help LA wildfire survivors, governor says


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Gov. Josh Green says he’s working on plans to offer relief for Los Angeles wildfires survivors and first responders.

He shared those details with Hawaii News Now Sunrise Monday morning.

Green told Sunrise he spoke to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his chief of staff about two different avenues of support.

The first is to offer hotel package deals to survivors who lost their homes in the fires.

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Green said impacted residents would be able to rent hotel rooms for up to 90 days to help alleviate the housing shortage California faces in the aftermath of the fires.

“The goal would be to make sure that as they begin to remove the debris and look for housing, that there will be less pressure on their housing market like we saw,” Green said, referring to the housing crisis that arose following the Lahaina wildfire in 2023.

The governor says Hawaii has around 25,000 hotel rooms statewide. He says thousands of those rooms are empty and could be used to house displaced fire survivors.

Funding for this plan would be covered by insurance or by a rental assistance through FEMA, the governor said.

“Remember, people are going to get insurance, just like we did in Maui, or they get this rental assistance from the FEMA guys, the federal government,” he said. “They will get some kind of median market value against rentals in California so we wouldn’t be putting up our money we just be making available our vacancies.”

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Green said he reached out to four other governors for assistance.

“It’ll be four states and we would find a price point that met their needs, we fill in our you know empty units which frankly would actually be good the state of Hawaii, and we would avoid having them come and take our long-term rentals, which is always a concern,” Green said.

The governor also touched on a plan to support California first responders.

Green said he’s working on an “Aloha for LA” program that would offer free flights and reduced hotel rates in Hawaii for first responders to decompress and seek respite once the fires are over.

The governor said he’s speaking with Hawaiian and Alaska airlines about the idea.

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The Hawaii Tourism Authority confirms they have been in talks with the governor but so far, it’s just a possibility.



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AwardsWatch – 2024 Hawaii Film Critics Society (HFCS) Winners

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AwardsWatch – 2024 Hawaii Film Critics Society (HFCS) Winners


The Hawaii Film Critics Society has selected its best in film for 2024. The Brutalist wins Best Picture, Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Cinematography and Best Original Score.

Nosferatu nabbed Best Director for Robert Eggers, as well asBest Sound and Best Horror Film. Other multiple winners included The Substance (Best Actress, Demi Moore, Best Make-Up, Best Sci-Fi Film), Wicked (Best Art Direction, Costume Design, Visual Effects) and Emilia Pérez (Best Editing, Best Song, Best Foreign Language Film).

In the supporting acting categories the winners were Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain, which also won Original Screenplay) and Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown).

Here is the complete list of winners.

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Best Picture: The Brutalist

Best Director: Robert Eggers, Nosferatu

Best Actor: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Best Actress: Demi Moore, The Substance
Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Best Supporting Actress: Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown

Best Original Screenplay: Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
Best Adapted Screenplay: Peter Straughan, Conclave

Best Animated Film: The Wild Robot
Best Documentary: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Best Foreign Language Film: Emilia Pérez

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Best Cinematography: Lol Crawley, The Brutalist
Best Editing: Juliette Welfling, Emilia Pérez
Best Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Wicked
Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell, Wicked
Best Make-Up: The Substance
Best Original Score: Daniel Blumberg, The Brutalist
Best Song: “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez
Best Sound: Nosferatu
Best Visual Effects: Wicked
Best Stunt Work: The Fall Guy

Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance: Kevin Durand, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Best New Filmmaker: Rachel Morrison, The Fire Inside

Best First Film: The Fire Inside
Best Overlooked Film: Hit Man

Best Comic Book Movie: Deadpool & Wolverine
Best Horror Film: Nosferatu
Best Sci-Fi Film: The Substance

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Best Hawaiian Film: The Queen’s Flowers (dir. Ciara Lacy)

Worst Film of 2024: Madame Web

Erik Anderson
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