Don’t confuse conspiracy with incompetence. It’s a tempting cope-phenomenon when psychological defences are overwhelmed.
There are lessons to be learnt here from this harrowing account of an angry Maui resident, who explains to the Rebel News journalist how they were simply left to survive the wildfires alone…
First lesson: Know the gamut of risks that you and your family face. Tsunamis, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, mudslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, social unrest etc. Hawaii faces a plethora of major environmental risks given geographical location. ID which ones you face, where the risk could strike from, what to do if the risk actually materialises. Think of the immediate aftermath, medium-term, long-term strategies.
Second lesson: Try not to subcontract your survival and safety to others. We get complacent thinking that everyone else will save us when the time comes. ID risks before they compound. Some risks this is easier to do, or more obvious, tsunamis, hurricanes, social unrest etc., whilst others, wildfires, floods, mudslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, can catch you off guard at a relatively moment’s notice.
Third lesson: Always live in reality. Don’t create ’emotional-copes’ in your mind because you’re trapped in the perceptive prison of your own reality, you not liking the real thing out there. There is a ‘real’ reality that’s independent from you. Nature to be commanded must be obeyed.
Fourth lesson: Check, re-check and double check your insurance policies too (if you even have, can afford them). Don’t assume that because you’ve been paying your premiums for years, you’re covered. Know what you’re paying for down to the last detail and keep checking.
Maui residents received next to no or inadequate warning, they heard no *sirens either (*due to concern it might be confused with a tsunami warning, thus risk of fleeing uphill into the path of fire etc.). No police, no loud speakers telling residents to leave due to impending danger. A bewildered authorities chose to send an emergency alert text at the last moment when comms were down, the power was out.
It’s more than plausible to assume that sirens sounding off could confuse residents. They’ve been primed to associate them with tsunami warnings. It would also seem unnatural to want to head to the ocean rather head for the hills, especially with high winds.
Most sensible option would have been to send early texts, series of ‘Emergency Broadcast Alert(s)’ explaining clearly what risk(s) were unfolding, where those risks were, what to do in order to mitigate risk to life.
Sadly, it’s likely many hundreds of residents perished in this wildfire.Can you calculate risk?
