LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Hawaii’s governor warned that dozens more could be found dead in the Maui wildfires as search teams scoured neighborhoods where flames galloped at a mile a minute and firefighters they were fighting to contain hell with what some officials said. complained was a limited water supply.
The flames that consumed most of the historic lahaina townare already the deadliest in the US in more than a century, with a death toll of at least 96. The cause was under investigation.
“We are prepared for a lot of tragic stories,” Gov. Josh Green told “CBS Mornings” in a recorded interview that aired Monday. “There will be 10 to 20 people a day, probably, until they’re done. And it’s probably going to take 10 days. It’s impossible to guess, really.
As cellphone service was slowly restored, the number of missing people dropped to about 1,300 from more than 2,000, Green said.
Twenty cadaver dogs and dozens of searchers make their way through blocks reduced to cinders.
“Right now, they’re going street by street, block by block between cars, and soon they’ll start entering buildings,” Jeff Hickman, director of public affairs for the Hawaii Department of Defense, said Monday on NBC’s “Today.” ”
Meanwhile, some state officials say there is a shortage of water available for firefighters, blaming a recent ruling by an environmental judge. It’s part of a longstanding battle between environmentalists and private companies over the decades-long practice of diverting water from East Maui’s streams that began during the past from Hawaii’s sugar plantations.
Elsewhere, evacuees were expected to start moving into hotels Monday night. Green said Sunday that 500 hotel rooms have been made available for displaced locals, with an additional 500 rooms set aside for Federal Emergency Management Agency workers who are assisting in the recovery.
In addition, FEMA has begun providing $700 to displaced residents to cover the cost of food, water, first aid and medical supplies, agency administrator Deanne Criswell said Monday. The money is added to any amount residents qualify for to cover loss of homes and personal property.
“We’re not going to take anything off the table and we’re going to be very creative in how we use our authorities to help build communities and help people find a place to stay for the long term,” Criswell said. More than 3,000 people have registered for federal assistance, according to FEMA, and that number was expected to grow.
On the subject of water supply, US Fire Administration Deputy Chief Tonya Hoover said she had no details on the island’s current water supply. She said the head of her agency has been meeting with firefighters, including one who was seriously injured and hospitalized.
The Biden administration is seeking an additional $12 billion for the government’s disaster relief fund as part of its request for supplemental funds from Congress.
The fire that swept through century-old Lahaina Almost a week ago it destroyed almost all the buildings in the city of 13,000 inhabitants. That fire has been 85% contained, according to the county. Another fire known as the Upcountry fire has been 60% contained, authorities said.
“Very little is left there,” Green said of Lahaina in a video update Sunday, adding that “an estimated $5.6 billion worth is gone.”
Even where the fire has receded, authorities have warned that toxic byproducts, including in drinking water, may remain after the flames. spewed poisonous fumes. And many people simply don’t have a home to return to.
The Red Cross said 575 evacuees spread out to five shelters on Monday, including the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku. Among the visitors was Oprah Winfrey, who told Hawaii News Now that she has delivered personal hygiene productstowels and water in the last days.
Winfrey, a part-time Maui resident, warned that news crews will eventually move on from destruction and the world will move on. But he said “we’re still going to be here trying to figure out how best to rebuild… I’ll be here for a long time, doing what I can.”
As firefighters battled the flames, a series of lawsuits over access to water were filed last week. On Wednesday morning, Judge Jeffrey Crabtree issued an order temporarily suspending the water limits he imposed for 48 hours. He also authorized the distribution of water as requested by Maui, county or state firefighters until further notice if the judge could not be reached.
But that wasn’t enough for lawyers from the state attorney general’s office, who then filed a petition in the state Supreme Court blaming Crabtree for the lack of water to put out fires. The state asked the Supreme Court not to allow Crabtree to alter the amount of water to be diverted or to suspend its restrictions until the petition is resolved.
The judge “substituted his judgment for that of the agency,” the petition said, referring to the Board of Lands and Natural Resources. “As a result, there was not enough water allowed to fight the forest fires.”
Wayne Tanaka, executive director of the Sierra Club, said Monday that the attorney general’s office exaggerated the effect of water diversion caps on fire suppression.
“It is a shameless exploitation of this horrible tragedy,” he said. “Central Maui reservoirs are useless for West Maui, where most of the devastation is ongoing.”
He said he is concerned that the state is willing to go to any lengths to exploit the tragedy and help a private company monopolize the water.
Representatives for former sugar plantation landowner Alexander & Baldwin and East Maui Irrigation Company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment, nor did the attorney general’s office. A spokesman for the Board of Lands and Natural Resources said they do not comment on pending litigation.
driven by a dry summer and strong winds from hurricane passage, flames on Maui rushed through parched brush. A fire moved as fast as one mile (1.6 kilometers) per minute, according to Green.
“With those kinds of winds and 1,000-degree temperatures, ultimately all the images you’re going to see are going to be easy to understand,” the governor said.
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Kelleher reported from Honolulu. Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Haven Daley in Kalapua, Hawaii; Beatrice Dupuy in New York; and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.
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