Acting Governor Sylvia Luke addressed the devastation of recent wildfires on Maui on Wednesday morning, saying officials and residents alike were caught off guard by this deadly consequence of Hurricane Dora.
"When we are preparing for the hurricane, we expect rain. Sometimes we expect floods. We never anticipated in this state that a hurricane, which did not make impact on our islands, will cause this type of wildfires," Luke said.
Hurricane Dora missed the islands by hundreds of miles. But experts say that's still close enough for a storm system to pose serious risks of wildfires.
"There is a relationship that we need to understand better," said Clay Trauernicht, an associate specialist in Wildland Fire Science and Management at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
He and his colleagues started looking into the relationship between hurricanes and wildfires in 2018 after fires started on Maui and Oʻahu during Hurricane Lane.
Rains from hurricanes can temporarily reduce the risk of wildfires. But when strong storm systems pass by without making landfall, he said they suck moisture out of the air.
That drop in humidity can dry out the landscape, making it more prone to wildfires.
"The drier the air condition, the drier those dead fuels, all the dead grasses and branches and leaves, [become]," said Trauernicht, "And the more explosive and ferocious they burn."
High hurricane winds also increase the risk of wildfires spreading out of control.
Trauernicht said that if a fire starts during hurricane conditions, it can be much harder for first responders to contain.
"And the sort of scenario we're seeing right now in Lāhainā is like the worst thing we could imagine," said Trauernicht.
For additional coverage on the Maui and Hawaiʻi Island wildfires, see below:
