Fires And Other Disasters Increasing In Hawaii

KIHEI, Hawaii (AP) — Hurricane-fueled flash floods and mudslides. Lava that creeps into neighborhoods. Fierce drought that materializes in a flash. Earthquakes. And now, deadly fires that burn block after historic block. Hawaii is increasingly under siege from disasters, and what is escalating most is wildfire. That’s according to an Associated Press analysis of Federal Emergency Management Agency records. The reality can clash with the vision of Hawaii as a paradise. It is, in fact, one of the riskiest states in the country. There were as many federally declared wildfire disasters this month in Hawaii as in the 50 years between 1953 and 2003.