People must come first in Hawaii wildfire rescue

The wildfire in Maui county of Hawaii had claimed 96 lives till Monday. Maybe the death toll would not have been this high had the warning system there worked. There are around 400 alarms, 80 of them in Maui, but when the fire broke out none of them worked.

Reports say two local residents have filed a lawsuit against the local electric company for failing to cut off power despite the warning of strong winds. Cutting off power could have reduced the damage to life and property.

It's too early to say if anyone should be held responsible for the loss of life, but given that natural disasters are becoming increasingly frequent, it's time to ensure warning systems are in place and working.

After the 2019 Australian wildfire, which lasted 152 days and claimed the lives of 520 million animals, media outlets and scholars had warned of more such disasters looming because of climate change. California in the US reported wildfires both in 2020 and 2021.

While reversing climate change will take time, enough warning systems should be installed to minimize losses. When the wildfire was noticed on Aug 8, a quick response was needed from the local authorities, who should have mobilized all resources to evacuate people and fight the fire. The firefighters fought bravely, but the emergency system was not effective enough to save more lives.