The heartbreak in Hawaii stretches on as the death toll rises, yet again, while crews comb through the wreckage.
“All my life gone, within a minute,” Lahaina resident Daisy Luu said as she returned to her island paradise home to find nothing but ashes.
Full-scale recovery operations are still underway in Maui as the death toll surges to 111. First responders have deployed about four dozen cadaver dogs to help in the process.
Three more victims have been identified as surviving family members are encouraged to give DNA swabs. The deceased individuals were 71-year-old Melva Benjamin, 90-year-old Virginia Dofa and 79-year-old Alfredo Galinato, all from Lahaina.
“This is the absolute worst disaster I have ever seen,” said Frank Taylor with FEMA’s National Urban Search & Rescue Response System. “Even though they are diseased, they are still bodies, still people, and that’s why you give them the respect that they deserve.
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Hawaiian Electric says that power has been restored to more than 80% of customers without electricity since last Tuesday. Approximately 2,000 customers in West Maui are still without electricity.
Water testing was performed for Lahaina and Upper Kula and is being analyzed by the state Department of Health. Even if the initial testing is clear, health officials said it will take time and additional tests to confirm that the water is safe to drink.
Although there are currently no active fire threats on the island, the hardest-hit area in Lahaina has now been 89% contained, with an estimated 2,170 acres burned.
Officials report that the Kula fire has burned approximately 200 acres and is 80% contained. The Olinda fire has burned just over 1,000 acres and is 85% contained.
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Maui officials stress that when a fire is 100% contained, it does not mean it has been extinguished. Rather, it means that firefighters have fully surrounded the blaze. A fire is declared “extinguished” when fire personnel believe there is nothing left burning.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen and other officials addressed the public Thursday to provide important updates and responded to significant community concerns regarding the disaster recovery process.
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“Like we saw in the pandemic, decisions we made can affect everyone across the islands. So what we’re saying now is travel should not be to West Maui. But the other parts of Maui are safe,” Green said. “And the rest of the state, of course, is also safe.”
Green said he will be making a statewide address on Friday to discuss more.
“But we want people to travel to the state to the extent that they’re not impacting the hard work that these extraordinary people are doing (supporting disaster recovery),” the governor said.
The region has significant economic potential for the future, Green said as he anticipates $500 to $600 million of added investment in some of the early cleanup.
“And then there will be billions of dollars in reconstruction,” he said. “And we also intend to do a public work program to hire local people, so that work comes and stays with our local people. A lot of money is going to be invested in Maui in a kind of an extraordinary way to relief efforts and that’s going to help us survive.”
According to the National Weather Service, Tropical Storm Greg is passing south of the state without expected impacts. Although Tropical Storm Fernanda is shifting farther south and is forecast to weaken, it may bring increased rain starting Monday and Tuesday with breezy trade winds.