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The commentary by Helen Cox and Sophie Pager, “Lahaina is our window to the future” (Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Aug. 29), attributed the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in the last 100 years to the effects of climate change. While climate change certainly can make weather events more severe, this does not account for the level of devastation experienced by Maui residents.
Decisions made (or not made) on the days the wildfires spread must be examined. Maui County’s decision not to sound the alarms to warn residents, or the state’s diversion of water needed to fight the fires also played a role in this tragedy.
Gov. Josh Green has pledged an investigation into the fires’ causes and the decisions that were made. The people of Maui deserve transparency and accountability from elected officials.
Mark Saxon
Kahului
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