About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

1 1 (August 11, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govemms0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 







              Congressional                                                   ____
          ~   Research Service






August 2023 Wildfires in Hawaii



August   11, 2023


Impacts of August Wildfires

Due to dry and windy conditions, several damaging wildfires spread on the Hawaiian islands of Maui and
Hawaii starting on August 8, 2023 (Figure 1). On August 10, the affected areas received a presidential
declaration of major disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
(Stafford Act; P.L. 93-288, as amended). The wildfires have caused fatalities and injuries, as well as
damage to hundreds of structures across different communities on the two islands.


Winds and Wildfires on Maui and Hawaii Islands

Beginning on August 8 and 9, wildfires ignited on Maui and Hawaii islands and spread quickly due to
strong winds. The National Weather Service (NWS) previously issued red flag warnings, meaning critical
fire weather conditions are either occurring or expected, for the leeward side of the Hawaiian Islands for
August 8 and 9. The NWS said Hurricane Dora, which passed about 500 miles south of the islands during
the same time period, strengthened trade winds and caused gusts of about 60-80 miles per hour. The
winds knocked out power, blocked roads with downed powerlines and other debris, grounded firefighting
helicopters, and hampered firefighting efforts. Some communications, such as landlines, cellular services,
and 911 services, were lost due to the winds and wildfires. According to Maui County press releases and
other sources, the wildfires have caused 55 fatalities, injuries, and evacuations of more than 10,000
visitors and hundreds of residents and have forced some people to flee into the ocean. Some of the
injured, especially burn victims, have been airlifted to the island of Oahu. The U.S. Coast Guard, the
Hawaii National Guard, and various Hawaii emergency services are responding by air, sea, and ground.










                                                             Congressional Research Service
                                                               https://crsreports.congress.gov
                                                                                  IN12218


CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress -

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most