On the week of August 8th, Maui started to experience extremely different weather that the Hawaiian islands are not used to. Usually in Hawaii the islands are mostly humid and have very tropical weather with dry weather in July. Very high winds and vegetation being drier than normal had been happening all summer and this caused Hurricane Dora to swoop in and destroy Maui. Hurricane Dora came in very fast which caused even stronger winds and power lines to fall, houses to be destroyed and fires to be started.
Just six hours after the hurricane started, the first fire began. Three acres across Lahainaluna Road caught fire and spread rapidly. Fires erupted everywhere, and people were trying their best to escape the island and find safety. With many people jumping into the ocean people were doing everything they could to escape and stay safe.
Hurricane Dora had started on July 31st traveling around the ocean, it took the storm eight days to get to Maui and this was truly a shock to everyone, especially with how damaging it became and how it damaged the beautiful Hawaiian island, Maui.
States like California, Texas, Oregon, Florida, South Carolina, and many other states experience wildfires or hurricanes every year that are caused by dry weather, rapid climate change, and other factors. Wildfires happen every year but people never see it get this bad. There are so many terrible things that come out of these fires with people leaving everything behind, and losing their homes and their belongings, but Maui was different.
Through the news, we saw that 80% of the island had been damaged and there is not a lot left. We saw cars that were crumpled, and buildings being destroyed, everything was black and white. These fires were going one mile per minute leaving no time to pack anything up and no time to get somewhere safe. Over one thousand people are missing and ninety-nine people have died. Shelters are flooded with the number of people needing a home while they rebuild or find a new location to stay.
