VOL . 3, NO. 1
SEPTEMBER 29, 2023
THE YELLOW PAGES BASIS Independent Fremont Journalism Club
MAUI WILDFIRES
these wildfires, because the warning system was designed to alert the residents from tsunamis, county officials decided against sounding the alarm, thinking people would head toward the hills and mountains and directly into the flames. The decision turned out to be tragic — with no audible warning, people remained in their homes only to become aware of the raging inferno through the smoke and heat they could actually smell and feel. This delay resulted in many residents becoming aware of the fire too late.
By Chris C. , Pooja K . , and Tycho Y. On August 8th, an emergency declaration was signed. By August 9th, the Hawaii state government issued a state of emergency. By August 10th, Joe Biden, the president of the United States, issued a federal major disaster declaration. What caused all of this? In early August of 2023, a series of wind-driven wildfires broke out in Hawaii, primarily on the island of Maui, causing fast-moving destruction and damage throughout the state. The wildfires have led to over a hundred deaths and an estimated six billion dollars in economic damages. With controversy surrounding every aspect of the wildfires and blame directed at the government and utility companies, the disaster lends us insight into the dangers that fires and a rapidly changing climate pose on our modern society.
ROOT CAUSES
In the early morning of August 8th, a fire was caused by Hawaii Electric, Hawaii’s most popular utility company. Within hours, firefighters declared the fire contained and left the scene, but only hours later, a second, more devastating wildfire broke out in Lahaina. Hawaii Electric claims that power lines had been inactive for hours prior to the second fire. Citizens are suing the company for leaving power lines active initially, and while the company acknowledges the incident, they claim the initial fire is unrelated to the devastating wildfires that occurred later that day. Despite the fact that the company and the larger Maui wildfires are supposedly unlinked, citizens add that Hawaiian Electric’s equipment was not built strong enough to withstand heavy winds and that there were many measures that could have been taken to prevent the disaster from worsening. Such measures included completely switching off power when high wind speeds threatened to damage elec-
trical equipment. Hurricane Dora, a Category 4 storm that raged across the Central Pacific, also potentially had an effect on the wildfires. Despite the storm remaining several hundred miles away from the island, some experts say that the winds propelled the wildfires across the state. The strong winds paired with a warming climate and dry vegetation created the perfect scenario for a wildfire to grow and spread.
SPREAD AND DESTRUCTION
IMPACT AND DAMAGE
The single most permanent effect of the wildfire was the many lives lost in the wildfires, both first responders and regular citizens. Many people perished in their cars, unable to evacuate in time. The Maui Wildfires took the lives of at least 115 people, making it the deadliest wildfire in the United States in over a century. The wildfire’s effects are most noticeable in the once beautiful tourist town of Lahaina which has now burned to the ground. Though it may seem that these
setbacks are temporary and that it will only be a matter of time before Lahaina rebuilds, the Maui Wildfires has caused irreversible damage to local communities. Lee Akamichi, a studio art instructor born and raised in Lahaina, somberly notes: “So many of the things that added to my childhood memories are gone forever. The neighborhood I grew up in, the school I attended, the historic courthouse my father worked in and all of the landmarks that made Lahaina a place people from around the world visited are gone forever.” The Maui Wildfires have greatly affected the island’s wildlife, destroying the beautiful forests and unique plants native to Maui. The tourism industry has also largely been shutdown by the disaster, and community members are now deciding how the rebirth of Lahaina should proceed. The two schools of thought are: to design the town to be a new, modern tourist attraction or to rebuild with the guiding vision of trying to recapture the magic and the beauty of what made Lahaina so historic and special but with contemporary safety standards. “My family hopes it will be the latter,” says Akamichi.
How does a wildfire go from a small spark to a blazing inferno with a death toll of over a hundred, while also displacing thousands of residents and tourists? High speed winds pushed about by Hurricane Dora led the wildfires to spread at a blistering pace, moving at close to 60 mph. In the populated towns of Maui, this was devastating, as the fires were moving faster than one can drive on most roads. Furthermore, as many sought to evacuate the wildfires by car, major roadways were congested making escape from the raging inferno difficult or even impossible. Another element adding to the calamity was the lack of a timely warning. The state of Hawaii possesses the most elaborate early warning system in the US that can be heard throughout each major island and town. But in the case of
When it comes to athletics, he has a to transform their communities. tery-powered car he built from scratch HUMANS OF certain drive that goes well beyond taThese fundraisers are merely a step in with his groupmates, and plans to add tennis, encompassing basketball and the right direction. Revant’s larger goal further renovations in the future. BASIS: METHOD ble running; and while he may not know it, is more ambitious: he hopes to study “He was probably the one who put the dedication he has for these sports has economics to help solve generational the most dedication into the chemisTO THE MADNESS garnered admiration from many of his problems of poverty and homelessness. try project,” recalls Ajay. “By the end of
By Kevin Weng
Suppose it’s Saturday morning and you’re craving a bag of Doritos. You waltz into Walmart in your PJs, expecting a quick trip, before freezing in your tracks at the sight of Revant in his trendy blue vest ringing up customers. That may sound strange — it’s hard to imagine him working as a cashier, instead of, say, as a zombie actor in a haunted house, or as a professional pet food taster. The long hours at Walmart all go towards his table tennis tournament fund (as a nationally ranked player, tournament fees rack up quickly). Out of all his interests, table tennis is perhaps the one most flamed with passion.
“It’s really fun putting a lot of effort into something you care about,” explains Revant. “Beating top players and winning medals at nationals is pretty cool. Representing the US at the international stage is also, you know, pretty cool. You have to have respect for the racket, respect for the ball, respect for the opponent, respect for your coach, and most importantly, respect for yourself.”
friends. “Besides his personality, what I admire most is his dedication and tenacity,” said Ajay, a longtime friend and classmate. “I think he’s running a marathon this weekend, actually. He’s been training consistently for a long time, in hopes of qualifying for the Boston Marathon.” Revant’s love for sports is perhaps rivaled only by his passion in fighting for gender equity. Fueled by his greatest inspiration, his grandmother, Revant has grown to love supporting his community. “At 13 years old, when most kids would be playing around at school, my grandmother got married,” said Revant. “And then at 22, when people would be in school or in the early stage of their careers, she lost her husband. In India, widows aren’t allowed to remarry, so she had to raise two children and battle against social stigma without even a formal education.” Revant channeled these motivations into his club: Generation Empowered, a student-led organization that works to raise awareness and enact change surrounding gender-equity issues. If you get lost during lunch, you may stumble into the classroom where he holds his meetings — you’ll be able to tell by the zoom meeting on the whiteboard, where a guest speaker is discussing their experiences being a woman in power. It’s also hard to miss their colorful flyers plastered throughout the hallways advertising their new and improved schoolwide donut fundraiser (yum!). All the proceeds were designated for RiseUp, a gender equity initiative that provides training and funding to women looking
“I saw this guy on Skid Row, a famous homeless area in LA, who said there were no dreams there. That really struck me,” he reflects. “ The wealthy and homeless are so separated that we fail to see the other side and provide them with bare minimums like housing and education. It’s something we really need to work on, and a problem I’d love to help fix.” If he’s not at club or work, you’ll certainly be able to find Revant in the band room. While not a “band kid” (in all aspects involving the stereotype), he is certainly a band kid, having taken band every year since fourth grade. Funnily enough, he even chose to take band in his senior year, the year when students are supposed to take two-trimester capstones instead of full-year classes. Eventually, the staff found out, and he was forced to drop the class. It’s moments like these where you aren’t quite sure if he signed up as a joke — but realize that beneath the humor, he simply enjoys music. “ Trombone is probably my greatest non-academic accomplishment — I’ve been playing for over seven years by now, and have been in some really awesome groups, such as the Mission Peak Quinn Symphony,” explains Revant. “It’s cool to perform for people, and to be part of the creative process. Recently, I’ve also been experimenting with making my own music — mostly lofi and math rock.” Revant’s passions span well beyond his evident love for music (remember his obsession with band?). He poured hours into his AP Chemistry final project, treating it as a passion project rather than a required assignment. To this day, he still has the chassis of the bat-
the year, most people were burned out and slacking off, but he really cared. He pushed everyone in our group to create this really cool project from scratch, which I had a lot of fun helping with.” Moving beyond everything — his aspirations, passions, activities — what jumps out the most is his unique personality. If there’s one thing that all of Revant’s friends agree on, it’s that Revant is always there to lighten the mood. “As a friend, he’s really easy to talk to and is always there when you need him. He’s always making jokes, telling stories, moving the conversation along,” says Krish, a close friend. “He’s super nice and funny, and helps bring the mood up. It’s much more lively when he’s around.”