On the bushfire-stricken Hawaiian island of Maui, rescue workers continue to search for missing persons. The death toll has risen to 99. The authorities expect that not all victims have been found.
About a week after the devastating fires began on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the death toll continued to rise. Search parties with cadaver dogs have now combed a neighborhood in the burned tourist town of Lahaina and discovered the remains of a 99th victim, Police Chief John Pelletier said.
Rescuers were scrambling to move forward as quickly as possible, searching 85 to 90 percent of the disaster area by the weekend, he said.
Tedious and dangerous search
The search for the dead in hundreds of burned-out houses and vehicles is extremely difficult and dangerous, Hawaii Governor Josh Green told CNN. The search for missing persons will probably take another ten days. Until then, 10 to 20 bodies can be expected to be found per day.
People checking in on Lahaina should know that they were most likely walking on the bones of wildfire victims.
Since cell phone service was gradually restored, residents have at least been able to get in touch with family and friends again. The number of missing has since narrowed from more than 2,000 to about 1,300, Green said. This number is likely to decrease further.
The American Red Cross said it had received over 2,500 calls from people trying to locate relatives and friends missing in the fire. About 800 inquiries were clarified.
Serious allegations against the authorities
At least three fires broke out on Maui a week ago. A dry summer and high winds from a distant hurricane fanned the flames so badly that the fire was spreading at a rate of 1 mile per minute, Greens said.
The fire, which spread to the centuries-old coastal town of Lahaina, destroyed nearly all buildings in the west coast city of 13,000. Almost all that was left was rubble and ash.
Many Lahaina residents have accused authorities of not giving them timely notice of the fires. Among other things, there was no alarm from the warning sirens, and other protective measures did not work either. The crisis management of the authorities is now the subject of investigations. Many residents are also upset that they are still not allowed to return to Lahaina.
Complaints about scarce extinguishing water
And some of the fires on Maui are still not extinguished. Green said people were struggling to access fire water. “In Maui and other rural areas, it’s difficult to get enough water for homes, for our people and for any activity,” he said.
2000 apartments for the homeless
Maui authorities, meanwhile, are tasked with housing and feeding the thousands of survivors who have lost their homes. The willingness to help is enormous. In Kahalui alone on Maui’s North Shore, several renowned chefs prepare 9,000 meals a day with the help of countless volunteers.
Nearly 2,000 housing units, including 400 hotel rooms, 1,400 Airbnb apartments and 160 private homes, are available for the homeless, Hawaii Governor Green said.