Maui Wildfire Death Count Now Over 100 and Counting

Posted: August 18, 2023 10:12 am

The full scope of the Maui wildfires tragedies is becoming more apparent, painting a grim picture of what transpired in this island paradise last week. As of late Thursday, authorities had confirmed a death toll of 111 with more fatalities expected as search crews continue to comb through the ashes. Here is the latest on this story.

As Many as 1,000 People Still Unaccounted For in Maui

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier has confirmed that first responders have searched just over a third of the burn zone looking for traces of human remains. Pelletier said that they hope to go through the rest of the burn zone by the weekend. Identifying the victims has proven to be an arduous process. Officials have begun the painstakingly difficult process of asking surviving family members to provide DNA samples to help in this effort.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said that there could be as many as 1,000 still unaccounted for, putting the scope of this unprecedented disaster into perspective. Green said the majority of the remains have been unrecognizable, making it even more challenging to identify the victims.

Authorities are relying on 40 canines from at least 15 states to help to boost the search efforts. Meanwhile, fire crews are still working to contain the fires burning across the islands. While there has been much progress made over the last few days thanks to more favorable weather conditions, there are still fires burning in multiple areas across Maui.

The White House confirmed on Wednesday that President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden will travel to Maui on Monday. The president had previously said that he wanted to wait until local officials could confirm that his presence would not disrupt the search and recovery process.

Questions Over Response

Questions continue to mount surrounding the response to the fires in the early stages of the disaster. Power company Hawaiian Electric has come under fire for not shutting off the power lines when the gusty winds began to whip up the flames. The company that operates Maui’s sensor network said that its devices detected significant utility grid faults in the hours leading up to the fire outbreak.

In addition to the criticism of the energy company, there are also questions surrounding the island’s siren warning system. The state of Hawaii boasts one of the largest networks of outdoor sirens in the world. However, the 80 alarms on the island of Maui were not activated to warn people as the fire began to spread. While the sirens are typically used to warn of an incoming tsunami, they could have also been used to alert people of the advancing flames.

The Maui Emergency Management Agency defended its decision to not activate the sires by saying that the warning would have caused many residents to head to the mountainside thinking it was a tsunami alert. The hilly areas were experiencing the worst of the fires during this time frame.

Gov. Green offered a different explanation, citing that the sires were immobilized by the heat of the fires. Green said that the state was in the middle of investigating the issue and why the sirens were not sounded.

With the increasing death toll, the Lahaina fire is now the deadliest wildfire in modern history, shooting past the fatality count of 85 as a result of the Camp Fire in California in 2018. The costs associated with the Lahaina fire is currently estimated to land at about $15 billion. Elements factored into this cost include the price of evacuations and relocations, government cleanup and recovery expenses, economic hits to the tourism industry, lingering health impacts, and more.

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