Hawaii

Hawaii town residents take on wildfire protection

Published

2 hours ago

August 17, 2024

Hawaii town residents take on wildfire protection

By Brittany Peterson
Associated Press

MAUI, Hawaii — In the days after a wildfire ripped through a rural neighborhood in the Maui mountain town of Kula, residents were determined to do what they could to prevent a repeat. With donated hoses and some impromptu training, some even learned how to open a standpipe to attack flames themselves if needed.

It’s part of a self-reliance mindset that took hold after the blaze last August, when the Upcountry fire destroyed 19 homes. Since that blaze, which had firefighters trucking in water from elsewhere because of a loss in system pressure, the people of Kula are determined to do all they can to be ready for next time.

“Anyone around who sees something, you’re on duty,” said Mark Ross, who lost a rental property where he had planned to retire with his wife. Ross, who is among residents who learned how to tap the standpipe from a retired fireman using donated hoses to stamp out hot spots for months after the fire, called the training “kind of a lifeline for everybody who still lives in that neighborhood.”

Even if the potential for a wildfire response is rare in your community, every member should be up-to-speed on exactly what that response entails

August 13, 2024 12:35 PM

The fire that hit Kula was far smaller than the one that devastated the historic town of Lahaina, about 24 miles (about 38 kilometers) away. At least 102 people died in Lahaina, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century, and thousands of homes burned.

But what’s happened in Kula in the year since has been a lesson in community-led recovery. Residents stood watch for months to protect their homes from flare-ups as roots smoldered underground. They cleared debris. They installed cameras to watch for signs of future fires. And they’re working to restore burned forests, including launching a nursery for native plants aimed at reintroducing a native ecosystem to an area that had been overtaken by thirsty invasive trees.

“They’re building infrastructure, but the beautiful thing is at the same time, they’re building social infrastructure,” said Rebecca Solnit, author of “A Paradise Built in Hell,” about the aftermath of disasters. “They’re deepening community and that is a major source of safety in a disaster.”

Kyle Ellison started a nonprofit after the fire, Malama Kula, that organizes volunteers to meet Kula fire victims’ immediate needs like clearing debris. It also bought and installed two advanced smoke detection cameras to watch over the town — a tool that Hawaiian Electric began installing across the entire island around the same time, and is widely used in California.

“We’re not going to wait for people to say it’s OK for us to do things,” said Ellison, who watched flames last year come within 10 feet of the home he was renting. “The community is just going to take action to protect ourselves.”

Residents are also urging officials to safeguard their water system and its pressure. Kula’s pipes ran dry last year because key pumps had no backup power when they lost electricity — a common vulnerability for towns across the United States. After last August’s fire, the Maui Department of Water Supply rented three generators for the Kula system. They kicked in during an outage last month to maintain water pressure, said department director John Stufflebean. The department is in a lengthy process of purchasing seven generators that will be distributed across the island, still about a year away, he said.

Residents have also been quick to flag any apparent weaknesses in the system. Scott Martin said he discovered a small pipe leaking on Pulehuiki, a narrow country road that slices through the heart of Kula, five months ago and reported it multiple times. He’s dismayed the leak only just got fixed last week.

The Upcountry water system, where Kula is located, leaks about 21% of its total supply, the agency said, above the national average of 14%. Stufflebean called that level “unremarkable” given the steep terrain, rocky soil and aging infrastructure, and said they had to wait on parts to fix the leak Martin reported.

“Welcome to Maui,” Stufflebean quipped when asked about the parts delay.

Helen Comperatore and her daughters remember Firefighter Corey Comperatore as he died protecting them

The Los Angeles County Fire Department released a summary of the front-loader fire and explosion that killed Firefighter Andrew Pontious

New Bedford Firefighter Matthew Forand received the Medal of Valor at the Firefighter of the Year Awards for a rescue in 2014

A former Baltimore fire boat continues to be of service as an artificial reef

For Sara Tekula, executive director of the Kula Community Watershed Alliance, such stories reinforce why Kula residents need to be proactive: “We have to link arms, and sometimes they need us to remind them and hold them accountable,” she said.

She helps lead a nonprofit that formed weeks after the fire to restore about 100 acres of native forest where invasive black wattle and eucalyptus trees burned across dozens of private properties in Kula. Restoring private forests falls outside the scope of responsibility for local, state or federal agencies, although individual landowners can apply for grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The charred trees will soon be cleared and replanted with species that thrived on Maui more than a century ago — koa, mamane, a’ali’i and ohi’a— before newcomers introduced thirsty trees from drier climates.

By the time federal officials arrived to determine how they could help, the nonprofit had held community meetings and worked out a strategy and a budget. Todd Ellsworth, a U.S. Forest Service post-fire and disaster recovery coordinator who met with the group, called their work “pretty remarkable.”

After raising $1.6 million in federal funds and private grants, the nonprofit is ready to break ground on a nursery for native plants and bought fencing to keep invasive deer from noshing seedlings in the young forest. They expect to begin planting during this winter’s rainy season, and Tekula hopes Kula residents will feel some relief in the coming months as they see the land begin to heal.

It will take years and additional funding to manually remove invasive seedlings as they grow, said Joe Imhoff, who is Tekula’s husband and, with more than a decade of experience restoring a 42-acre native forest near last year’s burn site, is serving as project advisor. Volunteers can do some of the weeding, but trained contractors will be needed to handle some dangerous work that requires rappelling into steep terrain.

But after a few years, the leaf canopy will begin to fill out and block light from invasive seedlings, which then won’t require as much manpower to suppress, Imhoff said. The native plants more effectively capture rainwater and moisture from fog than invasives, and they return more of the moisture to the environment, too — an aid in reducing fire risk.

Imhoff said hoping someone else will fix the problem doesn’t feel like an option.

“In the face of climate change and ecological collapse, the time is now to take care of our backyards around the whole country,” Imhoff said.

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Hawaii

Advocates empower migrants from Micronesia states, Marshall Islands and Palau in Hawaii

Published

9 hours ago

August 17, 2024

Press Room

Advocates empower migrants from Micronesia states, Marshall Islands and Palau in Hawaii

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – For nearly 40 decades, citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau have been free to live and work legally in the U.S. under the Compacts of Free Association (COFA). In exchange, the U.S. military has unlimited access to the 2-million square-mile region.

COFA migrants were initially given federal benefits as reparations for nuclear testing, but a law in 1996 stripped them of their eligibility for programs like Medicaid, SNAP and financial assistance — even though they pay taxes.

“When they come to Hawaii they’re often seeking medical care because the amount of trauma that has been inflicted, not only on their their communities, but on their environment and their ability to survive in a healthy way in their environment, by the United States, is severe,” said immigrant advocate Rebecca Soon.

The state and nonprofits stepped up to fill the gap. About 25,000 COFA migrants live in Hawaii — the most of any state. Many work in the hospitality industry and drive Hawaii’s tourism economy.

Waipahu Safe Haven began as a computer lab for youth and now helps immigrants of all backgrounds access resources from legal advice to healthcare, critical during the pandemic and after the Maui fires.

“They wouldn’t go to the doctor because they didn’t want to make a bill. They didn’t. They would end up in the emergency room and want to know, how can we pay the bill when we didn’t have enough coverage,” said Barbara Tom, a public health nurse and founder-director of Waipahu Safe Haven.

This year, a new law makes COFA migrants eligible for federal services again — and Tom and other advocates are reaching out and enrolling them, though it’ll take time to rebuild trust and systems for enrollment.

On Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Waipahu Safe Haven is hosting a COFA Fair at Waipahu Intermediate School with language access services. Volunteers will provide information on SNAP, health enrollment, COFA veterans information. free phone program, consulate offices to address passport and I-94 issues. Those who were initially denied federal aid services after March 9, 2024, can appeal.

Meltina Kibby is a language interpreter and works to empower COFA migrants.

She fights for those who experience discrimination in the workplace, housing or any situation — something she felt when she left Kosrae in 2013.

“My son was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. I got him over to Hawaii, and he’s still under group care, and he’s now at Kulana Malama,” Kibby said. “I was homesick, I was shut in my door, and I was like crying out.”

“We were called cockroaches, and what I said, we’re not cockroaches. We’re human beings,” she recalled. “I see a lot of change, and I don’t hear that word anymore.”

Soon says she too has seen racism against COFA migrants and urges people to remember what all Pacific islanders have in common.

“There is a lot of shared experience that we have, in discrimination, in colonization, in historical trauma, and those those systems are all really good at pitting people who are struggling with identity within those systems against one another, instead of seeing that the overall issue is the system,” Soon said.

“If every single person were to just pause, and we were to do a little bit of a like mo’oku’auhau of our own ohana, we would be reminded of our own immigrant roots.”

Watch more episodes of HNN’s series “Immigration in Hawaii.”

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Hawaii

Hawaii News Now Sunrise Weather Report – Friday, August 16, 2024

Published

16 hours ago

August 16, 2024

Press Room

Nothing alarming this early on when looking at the latest weather models, but long-range weather models suggest perhaps a tropical depression will develop over the Central Pacific by the weekend (late Saturday into Sunday). IF it does, it will remain south of the islands if it does develop. It shows it fairly weak from start to finish …. but if it were to strengthen over the Central Pacific and become a tropical storm — it would be given a Hawaiian name: Hone. It appears it will remain south and enter an environment that doesn’t seem to support intensification if it does develop. Just a friendly reminder we are in the thick of hurricane season. Right now, the thunderstorms to our southeast are disorganized but the last several model runs do show it becoming more organized as a very weak tropical cyclone. Still plenty of uncertainty– so will watch from start to finish. We shall see if it shapes up and becomes more organized.

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Hawaii

Hawaii vs. Illinois at 2024 Little League World Series: FREE live stream, time, channel

Published

23 hours ago

August 16, 2024

Press Room

Hawaii vs. Illinois at 2024 Little League World Series: FREE live stream, time, channel

Hawaii looks for a second straight victory Friday at the 2024 Little League World Series with a matchup against Illinois. The game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN with streaming on-demand.

Watch: Live streams of the 2024 Little League World Series are available with offers from FuboTV (free trial), SlingTV (low intro rate) and DirecTV Stream (free trial).

Hawaii (West Region) vs. Illinois (Great Lakes)

Little League World Series 2024 matchup at a glance

When: Friday, Aug. 16 at 3 p.m. ET

Where: Lamade Stadium, Williamsport, Pa.

TV channel: ESPN

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate) | DirecTV Stream (free trial)

Central East Maui Little League represents Little League’s West Region in Williamsport and goes after its second straight win after defeating New Hampshire, 3-1, on Wednesday’s Opening Day. First baseman Hayden Takahashi drove in two of Hawaii’s three runs in the game, while Evan Tavares struck out seven in 2.1 innings to lead a four-man effort to hold New Hampshire to one run on one hit with 12 strikeouts.

Watch live streams of the 2024 Little League World Series: FuboTV (free trial) | DirecTV Stream (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate)

Hinsdale Little League from Hinsdale, Ill., makes its 2024 Little League World Series debut Friday after winning the Great Lakes Region with a 3-0 record. Hinsdale beat Indiana, 8-7, in the region championship game and went 2-0 in one-run games to earn its place in Williamsport.

Hawaii and Illinois are set for a 3 p.m. ET start on ESPN. Live streams are available from FuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and SlingTV (low intro rate).

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Here’s the full 2024 Little League World Series schedule with times, TV channels and matchups (where known). The tournament runs through Sunday’s World Championship Game between the United States and International champions.

2024 LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES

SCHEDULE & RESULTS

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 14

Game 1: Mexico 2, Aruba 0
Game 2: Hawaii 3, New Hampshire 1
Game 3: Chinese Taipei 8, Canada 0
Game 4: Florida 2, South Dakota 1

THURSDAY, AUG. 15
Game 5: Japan 11, Puerto Rico 0
Game 6: Nevada 9, New York 1
Game 7: Cuba 4, Czechia 1
Game 8: Texas 9, Pennsylvania 0

FRIDAY, AUG. 16

All four games on ESPN

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate) | DirecTV Stream (free trial)
1 p.m., Game 9: Venezuela vs. Mexico
3 p.m., Game 10: Hawaii vs. Illinois
5 p.m., Game 11: Chinese Taipei vs. Australia
7 p.m., Game 12: Florida vs. Washington

SATURDAY, AUG. 17

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate) | DirecTV Stream (free trial)
1 p.m., Game 13: Canada vs. Puerto Rico on ESPN
3 p.m., Game 14: South Dakota vs. New York on ESPN
5 p.m., Game 15: Aruba vs. Czechia on ESPN
7 p.m., Game 16: Pennsylvania vs. New Hampshire on ESPN2

SUNDAY, AUG. 18

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate) | DirecTV Stream (free trial)
9 a.m., Game 17 on ESPN
11 a.m., Game 18 on ESPN
1 p.m., Game 19 on ABC
2 p.m., Game 20 on ESPN
7 p.m., MLB Little League Classic: Yankees vs. Tigers on ESPN

MONDAY, AUG. 19

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate) | DirecTV Stream (free trial)
1 p.m., Game 21 on ESPN
3 p.m., Game 22 on ESPN
5 p.m., Game 23 on ESPN
7 p.m., Game 24 on ESPN

TUESDAY, AUG. 20

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate) | DirecTV Stream (free trial)
1 p.m., Game 25 on ESPN
3 p.m., Game 26 on ESPN
5 p.m., Game 27 on ESPN
7 p.m., Game 28 on ESPN

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 21

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate) | DirecTV Stream (free trial)
1 p.m., Game 29 on ESPN
3 p.m., Game 30 on ESPN
5 p.m., Game 31 on ESPN
7 p.m., Game 32 on ESPN

THURSDAY, AUG. 22

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate) | DirecTV Stream (free trial)
3 p.m., Game 33 on ESPN
5 p.m., T-Mobile Little League Home Run Derby
7 p.m., Game 34 on ESPN

FRIDAY, AUG. 23

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate) | DirecTV Stream (free trial)
7 p.m., T-Mobile Little League Home Run Derby airing on ESPN

SATURDAY, AUG. 24

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate) | DirecTV Stream (free trial)
12:30 p.m.: International Championship on ABC
3:30 p.m.: U.S. Championship on ABC

SUNDAY, AUG. 25

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate) | DirecTV Stream (free trial)
10 a.m: Consolation Game on ESPN2
3 p.m.: World Series Championship on ABC

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