Classrooms on Maui will have empty seats as students begin returning to school nearly two weeks after deadly brush fires broke out, consuming entire communities on the Hawaiian island.
Privateer CEO Alex Fielding has been working with other Maui companies since the fires to bring charging and WiFi stations to some of the most devastated areas in West Maui. In and out of Lahaina daily, he’s heard from children who have lost their parents and many who lost everything.
He told FOX Weather on Friday that it was a “tough day” as some students returned to class.
“For the schools that started today, I can’t imagine what roll call looks like … when one in every four is likely not going to be there in those classes, in those neighborhoods,” Fielding said. “I don’t know how you have enough teachers or counselors or therapists, or how you there’s no way to do justice to the real tragedy on the ground.”
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told reporters over the weekend it’s “possible that there will be many children” among the more than 1,000 unaccounted for.
The brush fires broke out on Aug. 8 when school was in session tearing apart families. The fires destroyed about 2,200 homes, displacing an estimated 4,500 people.
Heading into a new week, the Olinda Fire is 85% contained at 1,081 acres. The Kula Fire is 80% contained at 202 acres and the Lahaina Fire is 89% contained with 2,170 acres burned. The Pulehu/Kihei Fire was fully contained on Aug. 12.
The death toll stands at 114 people, with only six identified. With about 85% of the burned area searched by 41 cadaver dogs, the number of dead will grow, and those on the island are waiting for answers.
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said the deaths are being reported to the public as soon as they learn about it from the corners.
More than 3,357 students will be enrolled at alternative schools because of damages to campuses, according to the Hawaii Public Schools.
Three Lāhainā campuses — Lāhaināluna High, Lāhainā Intermediate and Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary – sustained wind damage and require cleanup, but the overall structures and classrooms are in “good condition,” Hawaii Public School officials said. Administrative leave for staff at Lāhainā schools will continue until Aug. 23 for additional cleanup and water testing.
Maui High School, an emergency shelter in the immediate aftermath of the fire, began a phased reopening on Friday. Other campuses across the island will resume classes this week.
The search with cadaver dogs and using DNA from surviving family members continues with more than 1,000 unaccounted for and many presumed dead.
Fielding said it’s hard to remain missing on an island in the almost two weeks since the fires. Fielding said that even with communication outages, it’s been hard to remain missing on an island.
“We do live on an island, and at this point, we’re a week in. So there’s a lot of assumptions about if you haven’t reached someone yet, they’re probably not with us anymore,” Fielding said.
The charging and WiFi stations operated by Privateer and other Maui companies are running 24 hours a day in eight locations. Fielding said each station receives about 1,000 connections daily using space-based Starlink Internet. More than 650 Starlink terminals were delivered last week to the island.
Fielding said they plan to keep the charging and WiFi stations going until they aren’t needed.
Neighbors are helping neighbors, opening their garages and sharing supplies among communities. Volunteers are manning beaches and county parks and handing out meals to people.
Residents in Lahaina and Upper Kula do not have safe drinking water after the fires. Portable water tankers have been set up in those areas. Other dangers exist in the fire zones, including toxic ash and chemicals.
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Fielding said Alpha Construction and agriculture company Mahi Pono have been trucking in food, fuel and supplies to West Maui every day with help from Maui police escorts.
As FEMA, National Guard and Red Cross resources have been deployed by the thousands in Maui; Fielding said it’s the local response that will carry residents through in the long term. Even with emergency housing from FEMA available, there are many living on beaches and in tents on Maui.
One reason is the trauma of what they have seen and experienced. The fires moved so quickly many only got out with the clothes on their backs.
“There’s a lot of people who just watched an entire city burned to the ground,” Fielding said. “They’re traumatized. They don’t want to be in a building. They just saw a bunch of buildings burn.”