Aug. 15 (UPI) — Hawaii Gov. Josh Green is vowing to create an official memorial to honor those lost in last week’s deadly wildfires in Maui, where 99 people were killed — including children — and hundreds more are missing.
President Joe Biden plans to tour the devastation soon.
The search area for victims has expanded from 3% of Lahaina to 25% of the devastated historic town, as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 20 cadaver-sniffing dogs comb through burnt-out homes, businesses and cars in what the agency calls “Phase Zero.”
Gov. Green announced that there are children among the wildfire victims, as officials start to identify the victims, telling the families of three of the victims Tuesday that their loved ones did not survive. Green said investigators have discovered the remains of entire families in burned-out homes and in cars trying to escape from the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century.
“Right now we’re at 99 souls, families,” Maui Police Department Chief John Pelletier said Tuesday. “We’re going to do this right.”
Pelletier said some family members have identified their own dead after witnessing their loved one’s final moments.
“That’s one of the toughest parts of this,” Green said in a local news interview. “It’s one of the reasons… we are asking for some patience when going into the ground zero area because some of the sites are too much to share or see from just a human perspective, and also you don’t want to disrupt any recovery.”
The burned-out historic district of Lahaina remains barricaded, as officials face ongoing questions over why sirens remained silent during the Aug. 8 fires, which erupted during heavy winds.
More than 2,100 acres burned and more than 2,700 homes and businesses were lost.
Hawaiian Electric Co., which has drawn scrutiny as investigators search for a cause, reported it has restored power to all but 2,000 of its 12,400 customers who were in the dark last week.
On Tuesday, President Biden told reporters he will travel to Maui soon to view the devastation, but said he wants to make sure any presidential visit would not slow recovery efforts.
“My wife, Jill, and I are going to travel to Hawaii as soon as we can, that’s what I’ve been talking to the governor about,” Biden said in his first public comments about the devastation since last Thursday.
Biden’s critics, including former President Donald Trump, took notice as reporters pressed White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about why the president had not spoken out more.
“I don’t want to get in the way — I’ve been to too many disaster areas, but I want to go and make sure we got everything we need. I want to be sure we don’t disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts,” Biden added, pledging to Maui “every asset, every asset they need” for ongoing recovery and future efforts to rebuild.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Hawaii — but not just our prayers, every asset, every asset they need will be there for them,” Biden said Tuesday in a post on X.
I just got off the phone with @GovJoshGreenMD – following a call with @FEMA_Deanne – to discuss Hawai’i’s recovery after the deadliest wildfire in a century that has claimed 99 lives.
I reassured the Governor that Hawai’i will continue to have everything it needs from the… pic.twitter.com/dE7awuUUU5— President Biden (@POTUS) August 15, 2023
Currently, there are more than 500 federal workers in Maui. FEMA is helping with food, water and shelter. The U.S. Army is working to suppress the fire, while the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy help with search and rescue.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is helping with roads, power outages and hazardous waste removal. The Small Business Administration is making disaster loans available to homeowners and businesses. And the Department of Health and Human Services has approved a public health emergency, as authorities warn the fires could pose long-term health risks to those exposed to chemical compounds in the air and water.
For those who lost their homes, there are currently 11 shelters open, according to the Red Cross of Hawaii which has housed about 4,000 people.
The Maui Humane Society has received reports of 367 lost animals and estimates there may be as many as 3,000 pets missing or dead. The Humane Society is checking animals for microchips so they can contact their owners to reconnect or provide closure. Food and water stations have been set up in the area for roaming and lost pets.
A series of emergency proclamations are currently in effect on Maui, suspending normal rules for rebuilding. The governor has vowed to place a “moratorium on any sales of properties that have been damaged or destroyed” and added “we’re hopeful to create a memorial for the people in the state of Hawaii in this site.”
“Trying to take land away from our people before we’ve had a chance to grieve and rebuild is not ‘pono,’ and we will not stand for it,” Green told reporters Tuesday. Pono is a Hawaiian word meaning “righteousness.”
Trying to take land away from our people before we’ve had a chance to grieve and rebuilt is not pono, and we will not stand for it. pic.twitter.com/gZczd1oLTo— Governor Josh Green (@GovJoshGreenMD) August 15, 2023
“We’ll also invest state resources to preserve and protect this land for our people, not for any development, for our people locally,” Green added in a statement. “I will allow no one from outside our state to buy any land until we get through this crisis and decide what Lahaina should be in the future.”
Pelletier told reporters he hopes to search up to 90% of Lahaina by the end of this weekend, despite remains still being discovered in areas that were originally cleared and even being found on searchers’ clothing.
“It’s not just ash on your clothing when you take it off,” Pelletier said. “It’s our loved ones.”
