The death toll from fast-moving wildfires in Maui rose to 106 on Wednesday (August 16), making them the deadliest in the United States in more than 100 years. A week after a wildfire ravaged the resort town of Lahaina concerns grew about the effectiveness of the island’s emergency alarm system.
The inferno which raced from grasslands outside town last Tuesday has claimed hundreds of lives and has destroyed the historic town of Lahaina. The magnitude of the fire charred a 13-square-km area of town in hours. Some of the wildfires have not yet been fully contained and the cause is under investigation.
Authorities have raised concerns over toxic byproducts of the remains, including in drinking water, even in areas where the fires have retreated.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, while expressing his sadness over the situation, said that he and first lady Jill Biden would visit Hawaii “as soon as we can”. He also said that he doesn’t want his presence to interrupt recovery and cleanup efforts. During a stop in Milwaukee to highlight his economic agenda, Biden pledged that “every asset they need will be there for them.”
Death toll expected to climb further
Hawaii Governor Josh Green in a news briefing on Saturday said that the number of fatalities is expected to climb further as authorities continue to search and rescue efforts. The authorities also informed that just 33 percent of the area has been searched.
“This is the largest natural disaster we’ve ever experienced. It’s also going to be a natural disaster that takes an incredible amount of time to recover from,” Green said.
He described some of the sites being searched as “too much to share or see from just a human perspective.”
Green said thousands of people will need housing for at least 36 weeks, adding that some 450 hotel rooms and 1,000 Airbnb rentals were being made available for the needy.
Green said “leaders all across the board” have helped by donating over 1 million pounds (450,000 kilograms) of food as well as ice, water, diapers and baby formula.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, more than 3,000 people have registered for federal assistance and that number is expected to grow further.
Help reaches Lahaina
Hawaii National Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard have all joined the aid and recovery efforts. The Biden administration was seeking USD 12 billion more for the government’s disaster relief fund as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress.
US Department of Health and Human Services’s deputy assistant, Jonathan Greene said that the deployed teams of coroners, pathologists and technicians and several medical equipments like exam tables and X-ray units, to identify victims and process remains. Federal officials and Hawaii have promised vast resources to aid in the recovery while donations also poured in.
Meanwhile, the County of Maui in a statement on Tuesday said that crews using cadaver dogs have scoured about 32 percent of the area. As the authorities became overwhelmed with requests to visit the burn area, the governor requested the residents for patience.
A single-prop airplane that flew low off the coast used a loudspeaker to blare information about where to get water and supplies.
Additionally, FEMA was providing USD 700 to displaced residents to cover the cost of food, water, first aid and medical supplies, in addition to qualifying coverage for the loss of homes and personal property.
Efforts to find and identify the dead commence
According to Maui Police Chief John Pelletier, informed that till now just three bodies have been identified and officials are expected to start releasing names. Pelletier also appealed to families whose relatives are missing to provide DNA samples to help the identification process.
The county statement informed that so far 41 samples have been submitted and as many as 13 DNA profiles have been obtained from remains.
Properties worth $32 billion destroyed
According to a prominent disaster and risk modeling company, Karen Clark & Company, the Lahaina fire caused about USD 3.2 billion in insured property losses. This figure does not include damage to uninsured property.
The firm in its statement highlighted that more than 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed by flames, with about 3,000 damaged by fire or smoke, or both.
(With inputs from Associate Press)