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If there is one thing government, any government, hates it is accountability and oversight. Shutting off power is not as easy as throwing a switch. Some people
by PM_me_your_math 3y ago
If there is one thing government, any government, hates it is accountability and oversight. Shutting off power is not as easy as throwing a switch. Some people rely on power to stay alive. Power operates communications, water and sewer pumps, traffic lights; almost everything.
What also could be said, "why didn't local gov do their job, maintain the land by removing overburden, warn residents using existing systems that were working at the time, have an orderly evacuation by not blocking off escape routes, not deny water use, and not lie about their operations, decisions, and protocols." The answer is pretty obvious, the people in charge were political appointees who were wholly incompetent and inept; worried too much about optics and "equity" than people's lives.
- RoyalHenOil 3y agoI live in an area of rural Australia that is prone to bushfire. They shut off our power whenever the fire risk gets high. We don't lose critical infrastructure (water, communications, etc.) because backup generators exist. It would be unheard of to not have backup generators for critical services like these, even barring wildfire risk. Random power outages happen; sometimes a tree falls or sometimes a truck hits a utility pole. This is not to absolve Maui's government of responsibility. It is clear than a LOT of severe and unforgivable mistakes were made that day. But the power company really should have shut the power off.