If someone loses their phone and doesn’t know the phone numbers, an alternative way to contact people might be through email and social media. Find someone with a working phone or computer and contact relatives that way. Unfortunately, because of two-factor authentication, it may not be possible to log into your accounts from a new device. If you don’t have your original phone, you may not be able to get the login code that’s texted to you. In that case, you could try to find the contact info for your friends and relatives through google searches or by calling their employers in order to forward a message to them.
Yes, i expect that survivors will eventually sort out their communication problems, and contact those who might have reported them lost. But it’s still pretty early, and a lot of survivors are in refugee shelters with few resources. And i do expect that many people were reported missing by more than one person, and quite possibly with slightly different names.
Data is always messy. Even data that’s collected in ordinary times with full access to all regular resources. In my job (as an actuary) we report on insured companies with claims filed against them, and it takes considerable resources to remove duplicates. I’m sure there are similar problems in Maui, where i would imagine that making sure survivors get urgent medical care and enough water is taking priority over cleaning up the list of missing persons.
Also, if Joe reported that Jim is missing, it might take a while after Joe has heard from Jim before Jim is removed from the official lists. Really, data and communication are messy and hard.
Another consideration is you contact the police because you haven’t heard from 3AxisCrtl, but then after he contacts you, you don’t bother to contact the police to inform them he is no longer missing. So he stays on the missing list.
Don’t some native Hawaiians use multiple names, the way some Hispanic people also do? This too could add to the confusion.
Lots of European Hawaiians use multiple names.
David Smith
Dave Smith
David M Smith
David Smith Jr
David Mark Smith
Might all be the same person.
For that matter, there might be two different David Smiths reported missing, and it’s hard to know if it’s the same guy or not.
There should be portable cell towers from the other islands to establish communication. With the loss of personal cell phones the limiting factor is whatever devices are available at shelters.
And where would you find that assistance, when there are no payphones anymore, and the lines may not be working anyway, and you can’t get on the internet?
Outlook Saturday, Aug 19, 2023
Maui wildfires: State official’s decision to withhold water questioned
A letter from the West Maui Land Company to a representative of the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) describes a water supply delay that might have hampered firefighters’ efforts to put out a blazing fire in west Maui.
West Maui Land Co. is in charge of managing three water sources on West Maui. As the fire raged on the island, the company stated that firefighters had depleted what little water they had in their reservoirs and tanks, so they requested that the CWRM divert water from streams so that they could "store as much water as possible for fire control.
The assistance would come from the Red Cross and other support groups. The phone companies have portable cell towers to cover the gap in damaged towers.
RCR Wireless News August 17, 2023
Most cell sites back up in Maui
- Of the 21 sites taken down by wildfires in Maui, all but five are back in service as of today, according to figures from the Federal Communications Commission.
Names of the dead are beginning to be published, and they skew old.
Of course they are getting a lot of free advertising for doing this, but I think it’s very sweet.
Oddly, when my wife and I visited 3 islands a year ago, we did not see any spam on any menu. I kinda wanted to try it ‘there way’.
I know my number, my wifes number (It’s one number different than mine) and my work number. But that’s it.
These days it’s pretty easy to locate someone using the internet. We are linked in so many ways that it wouldn’t take much to sort it out. It should be pretty easy for the Red Cross to locate a friend or relative.
Losing a phone is extremely irritating in today’s world but not much of a problem to sort out. The phone companies will be involved in helping people re-establish phone service.
I’ve read that there are temporary wifi stations set up in two parks in Lahaina.
When I visit Maui 20+ years ago, I saw SPAM sushi in the 7-11. I thought it was weird, then learned of the special place SPAM has in the Hawaiian diet and it made sense.
I was in Hawaii about 10 years ago, and saw this, as well as a “special Spam menu” when we stopped at a Denny’s outside of Honolulu.
I was (in retrospect) impressed with the quality of the flip-flops. They are probably acceptable for work attire over there, I dunno. I saw a big barrel of them at a convenience store by the register. I think they were a buck or two something like that. They lasted like 20 years, they would not wear out. I wished I would have bought 2 or 3 pairs. Their replacements look about toasted after 6 months.
I just heard that 850 people are still missing, and a large percentage of them are children. I suspect a lot of whole families were wiped out, whether by the fire itself, or by drowning.
I suspect the true death toll will never be known, if only because a number of those lost in the ocean will never be found.
I expect that in another month or two the death toll will be nearly complete. I agree that there will be bodies that are never found, but most people have family, friends, employers, neighbors, etc. and will be missed.