wowie maui

I heard about the wildfires in Maui yesterday evening and reached out to my friend John Cassel yesterday evening —his morning—to see if he was alive. He was, but, as you can see, it was a close one. 

    Are you okay?  I texted.

   "Our house is in the middle of the frame with the flames in the neighborhood behind us. Other than that, things are just peachy," he said. 

   "Holy fuck," I said.

   "I believe that is the technical term," he said.

   "We are doing well. Lots of devastation all around us. All day yesterday and through the night until 4 am this morning, our neighborhood was surrounded by fires. "

     Most of John's neighbors, as well as his son, evacuated.  John and his cat stayed.

     "I had my car ready to go with my bug-out bag and sleeping gear loaded as well as a couple chainsaws, in case I had to cut my way out of the neighborhood. I kept walking around the neighborhood to check on the fire line and see if anybody needed any help. Many of my neighbors have lost everything, which is very sad. Fortunately we have a photovoltaic system with batteries so we have had electricity all the way through. Many neighborhoods are without.

    "The firefighters couldn’t fight the fire and 50 mile an hour winds. I think once the winds died down, the firefighters were able to put out the fires. In the moment, the hurricane is moving away from the islands.

    "Finally, at 4 am, I couldn’t see flames in any direction around the house. It was a huge relief, and I finally went to sleep for an hour or so. I’ve been helping out around the neighborhood, cutting down fallen trees and branches to clear the roads and my neighbors' driveways. Fortunately, we have a photovoltaic system with batteries so we have had electricity all the way through. Many neighborhoods are without electricity.
     "My cat kept crying, so I put it in my son‘s room and closed the windows and the blinds.
That helped it calm down. He has been relentless in wanting to cuddle with me. When I went back to work, he followed me into my office and sat on my feet under my desk. If I got up, even for a moment, he would follow me like a dog. I like having a cat that acts like a dog.

    "I’ve loaded up the car with some bedding to take to the donation center. Right now, I’m lying in bed with my cat snuggled up next to me purring like a freight train while I play chess online.
Those are my escapes."

 

   The foregoing has been lightly edited for clarity. Following is a link to the video John shot. https://youtu.be/je8nOyh9ZBQ