Maureen Roskoski shares her first-hand account of experiencing the Maui wildfires in this article for Facilitiesnet. Maureen shares her perspective from the tragic wildfires and offers three takeaways relevant for facility managers in relation to emergency planning and response.
Maureen flew into Maui from the Big Island of Hawaii for a four-day adventure based in Lahaina. Unfortunately, on that day, Maui experienced the worst natural disaster in state history and the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century.
Experiencing this tragedy first-hand, Maureen offers a few key takeaways to help facility managers improve emergency response planning:
- Communication is critical during emergencies.
- Take emergency warnings seriously.
- The risk of wildfires will continue to increase.
As we go throughout our daily lives, we all need to be aware and take the warnings from the national weather service and government officials seriously. The worst-case scenario may only happen once out of a hundred warnings we receive, but that worst case scenario can be devastating. The events of August 8, 2023, were a wake-up call — a reminder that being prepared is not just a choice but a necessity.
Here is a link to the full article.