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Pritchett

John Pritchett: You Did It. No, You Did It

Maui County and Hawaiian Electric Co. have both been targets of public outrage over who’s responsible for the devastation and death in Lahaina — the utility because power lines may have sparked the fire and the county for its ineffective response including leaving the Lahaina area too soon. First, Maui County filed a lawsuit against HECO then HECO pushed back last week with its view of events.

By John Pritchett

September 3, 2023 · 1 min read

John Pritchett/Civil Beat/2023

About the Author

John Pritchett

John Pritchett is an award-winning cartoonist. He has created artwork in Hawaii for decades, including 20 years at the Honolulu Weekly. See his portfolio on the web at: pritchettcartoons.com. Opinions are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Civil Beat’s views.

Maui County and Hawaiian Electric Co. have both been targets of public outrage over who’s responsible for the devastation and death in Lahaina — the utility because power lines may have sparked the fire and the county for its ineffective response including leaving the Lahaina area too soon. First, Maui County filed a lawsuit against HECO then HECO pushed back last week with its view of events.

(John Pritchett/Civil Beat/2023)

Read Civil Beat’s story on the dustup between the county and the electric company.

Read more Civil Beat coverage of the Maui fires here.

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About the Author

John Pritchett

John Pritchett is an award-winning cartoonist. He has created artwork in Hawaii for decades, including 20 years at the Honolulu Weekly. See his portfolio on the web at: pritchettcartoons.com. Opinions are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Civil Beat’s views.

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Asking and answering questions of culpability may be necessary steps in determining responsibility for the purpose of compensating victims, but the larger question remains how to move forward with restoration and some reasonable assurance that this sort of disaster does not reoccur. Anyone who claims that these past events came as a complete surprise is totally out of touch - the warning signs have been all too clear, except, perhaps, to those with their heads buried in the sand. It is high time for our elected officials to step forward, take responsibility, roll up their sleeves, and get to work! And anyone who is not up to the task should step aside, resign, and let someone else do the job. Imua!

Wiliama · 1 year ago

Pritchett, you are a genius! They are hands! They are also faces! How do you do it?

galenfox · 1 year ago

And in this case pointing the case at each other is correct except the HECO finger should be bigger as the COM was more responsible.

carpadiem · 1 year ago

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