High winds and out of control wildfires knocked out power, topped telephone poles and cut off cell service and 911 in parts of Maui on Wednesday.
Maui is experiencing “unprecedented” fires, the lieutenant governor said on Wednesday. The wildfires deemed ”catastrophic” by state officials prompted some residents to jump into the Pacific ocean to escape, reported CNN.
Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke called on President Biden to declare a federal emergency. High winds from Hurricane Dora, located about 500 miles from the Hawaiian islands, have made the fires especially difficult to control, according to the Maui Emergency Management Agency. “The fact that we have wildfires in multiple areas as an indirect result of a hurricane is unprecedented; it’s something that Hawaii residents and the state have not experienced,” Luke told CNN.
The winds have also downed cell towers, making rescue efforts more challenging. “911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down,” Luke said. “That’s been part of the problem. Maui County has not been able to communicate with residents on the west side, the Lahaina side.”
A spokesperson for the Maui Emergency Management Agency said even landlines are out in some areas of the island.
“What we are trying to do is deploy individuals to go into areas with satellite phone service,” Luke said, adding that emergency services have only been able to contact one hotel in the region because it has a satellite phone. “That’s the only way you can make a connection,” Luke added. “It’s impeding communication. It’s impeding efforts to evacuate residents and we are very concerned about that.”
The disaster also has wiped out power to about 14,000 homes and businesses in Maui, according to PowerOutage.us.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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