Hawaiians who survived a week of deadly fires now find themselves warding off desperate looters and opportunistic realtors.
At least 99 people have been killed by flames that swallowed much of Maui, displacing 3,000 animals, destroying upward of 1,700 buildings and reportedly causing upwards of $7 billion in damage.
Commercial fisherman Bryan Sizemore, 48, said his boat exploded because of the fires, but his business remains. The 20-year Maui resident now counts predators among his top concerns.
“There’s been looters at my place, people stealing gas,” Sizemore told NBC News.
Sizemore, who’s been sleeping in his car, said he has used a gun to chase off looters, who have been poking holes into gas tanks and stealing fuel. He believes the perpetrators are “random people” trying to survive while waiting for assistance that isn’t coming fast enough.
“It’s a s—t show out here,” Sizemore told NBC.
Lahaina, Hawaii resident Tiare Lawrence told MSNBC she’s been harassed by real estate investors looking to cash in on the spoils of her town’s misery.
“This is disgusting,” Lawrence said. “We just want to make sure that people around the word understand our situation and know that Lahaina is not for sale.”
She worries investors will buy damaged land near Maui and redevelop it without regard for the area’s history.
Meanwhile, Lahaina bar owner Matt Robb told Insider that despite “some police presence” and “small military presence,” people are being robbed by gunpoint after the sun sets, but in the daytime, things seem “hunky dory.”
“I don’t think our government and our leaders, at this point, know how to handle this or what to do,” he said.
By Monday, 250 Hawaii Army National Guard and Air National Guard members were assisting in the island’s relief efforts. President Biden declared last week that a “major disaster” existed in the areas impacted by wildfires and pledged federal funding to those aid those affected.
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