September-Remember: As Autumn Hits, Human Tragedies are Hard to Forget but Human Kindness Wins

SEPTEMBER-REMEMBER: AS AUTUMN HITS, HUMAN TRAGEDIES ARE HARD TO FORGET BUT HUMAN KINDNESS WINS

From DEEP INSIDE EARTH’S CORE we CREATIVE [occasionally INSECURE] WRITERS EMERGE to LOOK AROUND at DISASTROUS EFFECTS of GLOBAL WARMING & WEEP

“June—too soon; July—stand by; August—come it must; September—remember; October—all over”

Traditional Bahamian hurricane rhyme, now severely outdated *see effects of DORA below

Maui Wildfires and Human/Wildlife Loss Stir Worldwide Response

While one might be forgiven for believing the U.S. Labor Day Weekend fiasco at Black Rock, Nevada’s Burning Man Festival [August 27th thru September 4th] was tragic—torrential rain (2″) all day Sunday-made wilderness campers & artists look like mud sculptures in a normally arid desert—revelers didn’t appear to be phased by Mother Nature’s drenching gift. Some tried to exit the muddy venue in vehicles ill-equipped to handle deep bog conditions.

Authorities ordered dancers, musicians and party-goers to “shelter in place”, but many trailer-dwellers & stuck campervan owners shouldered backpacks and attempted to hike 5-6miles out to dry ground.

Proximity to Ocean did not Save Làhainà Marina, but Divers Assist

Water was in short supply one month ago, when Hawai’i’s worst disaster in living memory happened on night of August 8th, 2023 [cosmically ‘Lionsgate’ 8/8] & the island of Maui was struck by a combination of lightning storm, tropical typhoon Dora, downed power lines and wildfires which engulfed the coastal town of Làhainà, spreading from oceanfront all the way to interior mountains in the centre of the island.

Emergency sirens—usually sounded in the event of a tsunami—were, because cable towers went down, without power & unable to blare a warning to residents on Maui’s southern shore. Sharp-eyed residents still awake, on the other hand-many older people were already in bed-took it on themselves to rescue a few of their own belongings, plus cat & dog [& other pets] and raise the alarm with their neighbours.

Fire was already consuming vehicles, and traffic on the main highway was down to a crawl—then nil.

So, locals took their few precious possessions, pets in arms or on a leash—and walked.

Because of severity of Dora winds, they met a combination of thick, dense smoke, unbreathable air+ immediate blockage of any & all escape routes. Many headed for the marina & dove in, hoping that proximity to the ocean would give them time to gather their wits, if not their doomed belongings/home.

Làhainà Oceanfront Villas Burned, despite Divers’ Help

But vessels at anchor along the oceanfront piers were also on fire—with yachts’ & speedboats’ water-logged hulls succumbing to flames. Many sought help, as volunteer divers and veteran surfers tried to save those less able than themselves.

The nightmare continued for the rest of the week as official rescuers, first responders & government agencies began the work of ‘search-&-rescue’ of missing persons, pets & belongings, after the fires were contained.

Lahaina’s iconic 150-year-old Banyan tree [Ficus Benghalensis] in downtown survived the fires. Benches under her aerial roots lay unharmed, but work by arborists continues 2tap underground feeders so new shoots can sprout both underfoot & in her canopy.

“After” above, & “before” pictures of the legendary Lahaina old lady.

Sap is still oozing from her main trunk & bore holes are being filled with organic earth-based ‘soup’, to encourage aerial roots to reattach themselves below ground

A Month Later, 115 People Dead,110 Missing–22,000Acres Burned

Fires are now 100% contained—even those spontaneous brush fires inland. This means they aren’t all out; but that Fire Dept. water hoses, helicopter ocean-filled buckets and local rescuers’ garden spray efforts [if they still work] have the previous inferno under control.

One month later, official death count stands at 115 dead, a similar number [110 approx.] missing, with the Maui Humane Society still on the ground assisting in finding & rescuing bewildered animals who don’t know where their owners are. In the first week of the fires, some animals were taken [when there were no shelters in situ] to Honolulu & mainland California, but all records are now updated and owners have been contacted—where possible. They suggest you call them if you haven’t found your pet.

Cats & dogs with seriously burned paws have been stitched & bandaged, scorched whiskers trimmed, other injuries surgically treated. While some owners have claimed their lost pets & taken them to state-offered free lodging, shelters, emergency quarters, or to relatives who still have a roof over their heads, a number still remain in the Society’s rescue cages.

Rescued animals include 10 cats, 14 dogs, 3 rabbits, one baby boar, one dazed chicken and a parrot.

International Response—Food & Financial Help from Media Stars

While local divers & international agencies collaborate with on-the-ground K-9 search dogs amid the ongoing clean-up operation, it is hoped the body-count will not get any higher. Tragic stories emerge of lost loved-ones found still clutching a beloved dog, of missing cots uncovered with babies still in them. Thankfully, few isolated child deaths have been reported. The job of sifting through contaminated ash & [unbreathable] dust heaps continues.

Meanwhile Hawai’ian Governor Josh Green encourages residents with relatives still unaccounted for, to contact his agency which is maintaining an exclusive DNA bank of relatives looking for a lost loved one.

FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] has received ca.11,000 requests for assistance and has donated $14.6 million in federal housing and individual assistance. Governor Green said 6,000 people are now living in hotels and Airbnb units, paid for by his office, with help from FEMA.

Media stars Oprah Winfrey & Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson-with 2nd homes on the island-have set up their People’s Fund of Maui, starting with a sum of $10million of personal funds, and assuring those who want to help that every penny will go directly in the pockets of Maui residents affected by the recent wildfires.

They guarantee any adult resident in the area displaced by Làhainà & Kula wildfires is “eligible to receive $1,200 per month”.

American Red Cross & Salvation Army have been on the ground since day one, providing food, free shelter & are now assisting those with no home to return to, to move into Govr. Green’s special units.

On a Brighter Note…Before our Muse Drags us Writers Back Down into our Subterranean Cave

September-Remember: one of our hurricane rhyme lines (top) is brimming with unspoken truth: it’s often a time around autumn equinox (9/22-23) when we look back on the year & prepare for winter—and the holiday season. 2023 adds a few sky miracles to help us through hard times. ThankU Universe.

With a new moon in Virgo September 14th, our skies will be dark: perfect for spotting the new comet C/23-P1 Nishimura which will be visible to the naked eye [without binoculars or telescope] in the early morning sky around 4a.m. Sept.12th.

Tonight 9/4-5 the Moon & Jupiter will be conjunct—together as they circle us Earthlings.

Then green comet C/23-P1 Nishimura can be spotted by early birds at 4am 9/12 thru 9/17 when it reaches perihelion-closest to the Sun in its orbit-before heading back out of the Solar system.

It won’t return until until 2431-that’s 107 years from now.

And if you need further consciousness-raising before you join us obsessed writer-holics as we go back into our Muse-directed subterranean cave below the Maui Banyan tree [<3]-the Moon & Saturn will be conjunct-only 2º apart on 9/26, with full Harvest Moon-closest to Equinox-in Pisces on 9/29.

If you’re REALLY blessed-aren’t we all?-you might spot some leftover Aurigid meteor shower remnants during moonless dark night skies—September’s iconic decorations as a prelude to festive sparklers & winter holiday lights! Happy Autumn peeps! ©2023MarianCYoungblood