Hawaii wildfires: Maui death toll mounts to 80; deadliest in state history
Hawaii, August 12: As the search teams comb through smoke-filled inferno sweeping Lahaina town, the death toll from Hawaii's Maui wildfires has surged to 80. The authorities are making all efforts to ascertain the factors that led to the swift spread of the blaze across the historically significant resort area, even in the face of minimal advance notice, as highlighted by a report from Al Jazeera.
On Friday, Hawaii's Attorney-General announced an investigation into the response and actions taken by the authorities regarding the fatal wildfires, which have claimed the lives of a minimum of 80 individuals and forced 1,418 persons to seek refuge in emergency evacuation shelters.
The office of Attorney-General Anne Lopez said in a statement, "The Department of the Attorney-General will be conducting a comprehensive review of critical decision-making and standing policies leading up to, during, and after the wildfires on Maui and Hawaii islands this week."
The fires have become the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii’s history and have surpassed the Tsunami that killed 61 people on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1960, reported Al Jazeera. This week at least three fires have erupted, caused by dry conditions, hot temperatures and strong winds from a passing hurricane.
However, for the first time, the residents of Lahaina were permitted to return to their homes to assess the damage caused by fires.
Moreover, according to officials, the search teams with cadaver dogs could still find more dead from the fire that burnt 1,000 buildings and left thousands homeless. They added that it would require many years and billions of dollars to rebuild, Al Jazeera reported.
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Further information revealed that the victims of the fire had died while trying to rescue them from the fast-moving blaze.
The island, however, includes emergency sirens which are supposed to warn of natural disasters and other threats, but they did not work during the fire. Even after three days of the disaster, it is still unclear whether some residents got any warning before the fire blazed their homes.
Referring to the warning sirens, Hawaii Governor Josh Green told CNN, “I authorised a comprehensive review this morning to make sure that we know exactly what happened and when."
US President Joe Biden spoke with Hawaii Governor Josh Green on Friday after the latter completed a survey of destruction across Maui.
The White House said, "The Governor provided the President with a firsthand update and assessment of Hawaii’s latest needs, and thanked the President for the support of FEMA and other federal agencies," CNN reported.
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden declared Hawaii wildfires a "major disaster" and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas impacted by the wildfires since August 8. Biden's action makes federal funding available to impacted people in Maui County.
A White House statement said, "Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Hawaii and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires beginning on August 8, 2023, and continuing."
The assistance announced by Biden includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help people and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster, according to the White House statement.
- ANI
