Maui’s emergency chief resigns following backlash over wildfire response as search continues – latest

The head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency resigned on Thursday after officials came under increased scrutiny over the response to the devastating wildfires.

Herman Andaya submitted his resignation just one day after he defended his decision of not using outdoor alert sirens before the fires overwhelmed the historic community of Lahaina and killed at least 111 people.

Mr Andaya cited unspecified health reasons, with no further details provided in his letter.

“Given the gravity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I will be placing someone in this key position as quickly as possible,” Maui mayor Richard Bissen said in the statement.

Meanwhile, the search to find and identify victims remains painstakingly slow. Only 10 of the 111 victims so far killed in the fires have been identified.

Residents are also reporting that investors and realtors are trying to capitalise on the wildfires to purchase land from locals. “We’re not going to allow it,” Hawaii governor Josh Green said.

Mr Green said he expects re-building the burned area of Maui to cost $5 billion or more.

Key points

• Maui’s emergency services chief Herman Andaya quits following backlash over sirens

• Maui wildfires death toll reaches 111

• What caused the fires in Maui?

• Biden to visit Maui on Monday after backlash over response

Why officials did not sound outdoor alarms

05:00 , Ariana Baio

On Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency website, it indicates that their outdoor siren system can be used for hurricanes, dam breaches, flooding, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, terrorist threats, hazardous material incidents and more.

Despite this, both Governor Josh Green and Maui County Emergency Management Agency administrator Herman Andaya say the siren would not have been useful if it was sounded before the fires.

Both Mr Green and Mr Andaya said the siren is advertised as being used almost exclusively for tsunamis – especially for beachside neighbourhoods and towns.

Mr Green said when he first moved to Hawaii he was always told, “If you hear a siren it’s a tsunami you go to high ground.”

That single-minded approach to the sirens has proven dangerous after the Maui wildfires. Mr Green said going forward they are going to find new ways to keep the public informed about incoming disasters.

“We’re performing a comprehensive review to find out what the safest and most effective, science-based way is to protect people,” Mr Green told reporters.

What to donate to the people of Maui

04:15 , Stuti Mishra

State and local officials have given a list of donation priorities for the people of Maui, according to Hawaii News Now.

First and foremost, officials are asking people not to ship donated items to Hawaii unless they have a specific person who can be on the receiving end of it. If you have items to donate, use the Hawaii Community Foundation and Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

In-demand donations include non-perishable foods, specifically protein and vegetables, water, water totes, outdoor sinks, wheelchairs and tents.

People are asking to not donate any more clothing as there is a surplus.

WATCH: Hawaiian TV reporter reveals he's lost four family members in Lahaina wildfires

02:00 , Ariana Baio

Maui wildfire survivors face new threat from chemical contamination that could linger

00:00 , Ariana Baio

Maui residents have been warned that wildfires burning since 8 August have contaminated water, air and soil and could pose health risks for months to come.

The deadly wildfires have claimed at least 99 lives, and destroyed an estimated 2,700 buildings around Lahaina containing hazardous household wastes, treated wood, paints and other toxic materials, officials said.

The Hawaiian Department of Health has warned that ash and dust from burned homes and businesses could contain deadly toxic chemicals such as asbestos, arsenic and lead.

They also advised residents to wear surgical masks such as N95s and goggles, gloves, and closed-toed shoes to avoid skin contact with ash.

They also warned people to avoid washing ash into drains or using vacuums that will stir up carcinogenic particles into the air.

King Charles and Queen Camilla ‘utterly horrified’ by Hawaii wildfires in letter to Joe Biden

22:00 , Ariana Baio

King Charles III has written a letter to US president Joe Biden saying he and Queen Camilla were “utterly horrified” to hear about the “catastrophic” wildfires in Hawaii.

The monarch and his wife sent their “deepest possible sympathy” to the families of people who have died in the blazes on the island of Maui.

Ted Hennessey reports:

King and Queen ‘utterly horrified’ by Hawaii wildfires in letter to Joe Biden

ICYMI: Maui's emergency services chief resigns after facing criticism

20:00 , Ariana Baio

The Hawaii power authority has responded to criticism over leaving power lines on amid strong winds.

One video showed a cable dangling in a charred patch of grass, surrounded by flames, in the early moments, leading to speculations of a downed line being a possible cause of the wildfire.

“Facts about this event will continue to evolve,” Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura wrote in an email to utility customers on Thursday, according to AP.

“And while we may not have answers for some time, we are committed, working with many others, to find out what happened as we continue to urgently focus on Maui’s restoration and rebuilding efforts.”

Family finds charred remains of 15-year-old son inside the burned-t0-the-ground home

19:00 , Andrea Blanco

Twenty-year-old Jose Vargas also told CNN that his father found the charred remains of his 15-year-old adopted brother Keyiro in their home, which had burned to the ground. Keyiro died in his bedroom, clutching the family dog.

“We have a body,” Mr Vargas said he told authorities after wrapping Keyiro’s body in an aluminium blanket. “I’m sorry, mister officer, but I have the body of my brother.”

Read more:

Hawaii wildfires death toll rises to 114 as governor pledges to rebuild community

Hawaii officials confirm more than 114 killed in wildfires

18:08 , Andrea Blanco

According to Gov Josh Green, 114 people have lost their lives in the devastating Maui wildfires.

The search to find and identify victims remains painstakingly slow — only 10 victims so far killed in the fires have been identified.

The Maui wildfire is the deadliest in America in the last 100 years.

Pilot vacationing in Hawaii took day off to fly Maui visitors off island

18:00 , Ariana Baio

Vince Eckelkamp, a line training manager at United Airlines from Denver, was wrapping up his vacation in Hawaii with his family when the fires began last week.

When his own flight got delayed then cancelled due to the fires, Mr Eckelkamp said he decided to step up to help out other pilots to fly visitors off the island in the middle of the crisis.

He told USA Today that he texted another pilot who was scheduled to fly out to ask if he needed help who accepted his offer.

Mr Eckelkamp flew the plane from Maui to San Francisco to get 330 people off the island in the midst of the disaster.

‘If I hadn’t stepped up, or if I wasn’t there [the flight would have been canelled],” Mr Eckelkamp told USA Today.

“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and was able to do the right thing.”

Flight and travel information as wildfires tear through Hawaiian islands

16:00 , Ariana Baio

There have so far been three major wildfires on Maui, fuelled by dry conditions and strong winds, and thousands of tourists and locals have been evacuated from the affected areas. It is already Hawaii’s deadliest natural disaster since a tsunami killed 61 people in 1960. There are also fires on some of the state’s other islands, though these are not as severe.

The scenes come after a summer of record-breaking temperatures and fires across the world. Thousands of people were evacuated from Greece, Spain and Portugal as southern Europe battled wildfires, and a series of fires in western Canada sent clouds of smoke over vast portions of the US.

If you’re booked to travel to Hawaii, you might be asking: is it safe to go? Here’s what we know so far, including the latest government travel advice.

Maui fires: Is it safe to travel to Hawaii?

Space lasers, boat burnings and elite land grabs: How the Maui wildfires became fodder for conspiracy theorists

14:00 , Ariana Baio

Viral claims that the deadly Hawaiian wildfires were started deliberately as part of a shadowy plot followed a grimly predictable playbook.

Bevan Hurley reports:

Space lasers and boat burnings: Bizarre Maui wildfire conspiracies

Watch: Scale of wildfire scarring in aerial footage

11:00 , Ariana Baio

Spam rushes to help Maui amid devastating Hawaii wildfires

08:00 , Ariana Baio

Canned meat brand Spam, a beloved Hawaiian staple, has announced its intention to help bring food to the island amid the devastating wildfires.

In a statement shared to Facebook on 10 August, Spam, which is owned by Hormel Foods, announced it is partnering with humanitarian organisation Convoy of Hope to send more of the product to residents that have been affected by the wildfires across the state.

Brittany Miller reports:

Meat brand Spam helps Maui amid devastating Hawaii wildfires

Search for missing moves beyond Lahaina

05:00 , Ariana Baio

The painstaking search for human remains through a burned-out area of ash and debris in Lahaina has covered at least 45 per cent of houses, governor Josh Green said on Thursday.

Authorities say the search for the missing has moved beyond Lahaina to other communities that were destroyed.

However, it will probably continue for at least another week.

The FBI’s Honolulu division said it is helping Maui police locate and identify missing people. Immediate family members who are on Maui can provide DNA samples at the Hyatt Recency in Kaanapali beginning Friday, and those elsewhere can contact the FBI for instructions.

Video appears to show start of deadly Maui wildfires

02:00 , Ariana Baio

Video appears to show start of deadly Maui wildfires

Identifying victims of the Maui wildfire will be a challenging task

Sunday 20 August 2023 00:00 , Ariana Baio

Dozens of search crews and cadaver dogs went through devastated areas of Lahaina this week.

The federal government said it dispatched coroners, pathologists, technicians, X-ray units and other equipment to identify victims and process remains.

US Department of Health and Human Services official Jonathan Greene said the work stood to be “ very, very difficult ” and called for patience.

Rapid DNA-testing machines that were used after a 2018 blaze that largely destroyed Paradise, California, also are being put to work in Maui. The instruments, roughly the size of a large computer printer or microwave oven, were developed a decade or so ago and designed for use in the field

In some situations, dental work, prosthetics, surgical implants, fingerprints, tattoos or other body markings can reveal a person’s identity. But the heat and power of a wildfire can destroy these clues, and dental and medical records sometimes are unavailable or difficult to track down.

An intense fire also can leave remains too damaged for DNA extraction, though there have been scientific strides. New York City, notably, has retested fragmentary remains of 9/11 victims as techniques evolved over the years and created new prospects for reading genetic code diminished by fire, sunlight, bacteria and more.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

VOICES: How Biden’s response to Hawaii wildfire disaster went so wrong

Saturday 19 August 2023 22:00 , Ariana Baio

“It was a quick, offhanded remark. And one that immediately sparked its own news cycle, as Republicans and other critics jumped on him to insist that the president was unconcerned about the death and destruction.”

John Bowden writes:

Biden got a '3am phone call' moment on Hawaii – he swung and he missed

White House shows FEMA responders working in Maui

Saturday 19 August 2023 20:00 , Ariana Baio

How to help victims of Hawaii wildfires

Saturday 19 August 2023 18:00 , Ariana Baio

Thousands of Hawaii citizens have been displaced following wildfires that devastated the historic town of Lahaina in Maui.

Here is a list of resources to help those impacted by the natural disaster.

Brittany Miller reports:

How to help victims of Hawaii wildfires

Fox News criticised for using disgraced ex-FEMA head to attack Biden’s response to Hawaii wildfires

Saturday 19 August 2023 16:00 , Ariana Baio

The former FEMA administrator who was critcised for slow rescue efforts amid the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 has been accused of hypocrisy after he called President Joe Biden’s response to the Maui wildfires an “abject failure”.

Despite facing his own barrage of criticism when he headed FEMA, Michael D Brown lambasted the president’s response to the fatal fires on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle. The fires have claimed the lives of at least 111 people, while thousands more have been displaced.

Kelly Rissman reports:

Fox News blasted for using ex-FEMA head to attack Biden’s response to Maui wildfires

FEMA has paid out more than $5.6m to Maui survivors

Saturday 19 August 2023 14:00 , Ariana Baio

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday it has approved more than $5.6 million in assistance to nearly 2,000 households in Maui so far as the federal government tries to help survivors of the devastating wildfires.

The White House and FEMA approved a one-time payment of $700 per household for needs like clothing, food, or transportation. The agency will also pay to put survivors up in hotels and motels and says it has paid out $1.6 million in rental assistance as of Friday.

The amounts are expected to grow significantly. Estimates are that thousands of buildings were damaged or destroyed in the fire, which consumed much of historic community of Lahaina. In the wake of the Northern California wildfire in 2018, which decimated the city of Paradise, FEMA paid out $238 million in assistance.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Who are the wildfire victims?

Saturday 19 August 2023 11:00 , Ariana Baio

Raging wildfires in Maui have left at least 106 people dead and thousands of others missing after they were forced to flee their homes.

“We are heartsick that we’ve had such loss,” Hawaii governor Josh Green said during a news conference on Tuesday.

Who are the Maui wildfire victims?

Watch: Ex-Fema administrator criticises Biden’s response to Maui wildfires

Saturday 19 August 2023 09:00 , Ariana Baio

How did the Hawaii wildfires start?

Saturday 19 August 2023 07:30 , Ariana Baio

Hawaii delayed water that could have been used in wildfires, report says

Saturday 19 August 2023 05:00 , Ariana Baio

A Hawaii agency reportedly delayed a water management company’s request to make water available to fight the wildfires in Maui.

In a letter obtained by CNN, a member of the West Maui Land Company complained in a letter that the deputy director of the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management that the agency did not approve the company’s request to divert stream water to nearby reservoirs quickly.

The agency allegedly told West Maui Land Company that they had to inquire about impacts before allowing it while wildfires blazed.

It is unclear if the request’s approval would have significantly affected firefighters’ efforts in Lahaina.

Biden called out for ‘special’ Maui PR drive after backlash over slow response

Saturday 19 August 2023 03:00 , Ariana Baio

President Joe Biden delivered a “special” message to the people of Maui on Thursday morning in a pre-recorded video aired on Good Morning America – but for some, the president’s effort was too little too late.

Biden called out for ‘special’ Maui PR drive after backlash over slow response

In Hawaii, concerns over 'climate gentrification' rise after devastating Maui fires

Saturday 19 August 2023 01:00 , Ariana Baio

More than 3,000 buildings in Lahaina were damaged by fire, smoke or both. Insured property losses alone already total some $3.2 billion, according to Karen Clark & Company, a prominent disaster and risk modeling firm.

With a housing crisis that has priced out many Native Hawaiians as well as families that have been there for decades, concerns are rising that the state could become the latest example of “climate gentrification,” when it becomes harder for local people to afford housing in safer areas after a climate-amped disaster.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Wednesday his state attorney general will draft a moratorium on the sale of damaged properties in Lahaina, to protect local landowners from being “victimized” by opportunistic buyers as Maui rebuilds.

Thompson said she supports that “wholeheartedly.” But she acknowledged some people won’t be able to afford to rebuild and will want to sell their land.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

White House using ‘whole of government’ approach to Maui wildfire assistance

Saturday 19 August 2023 00:00 , Ariana Baio

Hawaiian officials delayed request to divert water to firefighters battling Maui wildfire, report claims

Friday 18 August 2023 23:29 , Graig Graziosi

New documents allege that state authorities in Hawaii delayed a water management company’s request to divert water to Maui to help fight wildfires that ripped through the island earlier this month.

The allegations were reportedly detailed in a letter obtained by CNN.

Glenn Tremble of the West Maui Land Company — which manages the state’s water supply companies — expressed his frustration in a letter to the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management, reportedly claiming the agency failed to approve his company’s request to move water to reservoirs to help firefighting capabilities during the wildfire.

He was told that the company had to consider the impact such a diversion would take on downstream users, according to the report.

READ MORE:

Report claims Hawaiian officials delayed request to divert water to battle wildfire

Maui homeowner reveals property upgrades that left her house the only one spared by wildfires

Friday 18 August 2023 23:00 , Ariana Baio

The once-colourful homes along the coast of historic Maui town of Lahaina are now mostly obliterated, leaving a series of ruins covered in a layer of grey soot and ash from the devastating wildfires that ravaged the area.

Except for one.

Aerial photos of destroyed properties show a red-roofed home with a pristine white facade and red roof still standing, seemingly untouched by the blazes.

A photo of the scene immediately went viral, with some wondering if it could be Photoshopped or if it was part of a larger conspiracy, like many images that have circulated online in the wake of the disaster.

The simple truth, though, is that the homeowners, Dora Atwater Millikin and her husband, Dudley, made relatively minor adjustments that helped save their property.

Ariana Baio reports:

Maui homeowner reveals property upgrades that left her house spared in wildfires

Watch: Emotional Maui resident asks why President Joe Biden hasn't visited after wildfires

Friday 18 August 2023 22:00 , Ariana Baio

Fox News criticised for using disgraced ex-FEMA head to attack Biden’s response to Hawaii wildfires

Friday 18 August 2023 21:30 , Ariana Baio

The former FEMA administrator who was critcised for slow rescue efforts amid the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 has been accused of hypocrisy after he called President Joe Biden’s response to the Maui wildfires an “abject failure”.

Despite facing his own barrage of criticism when he headed FEMA, Michael D Brown lambasted the president’s response to the fatal fires on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle. The fires have claimed the lives of at least 111 people, while thousands more have been displaced.

“If he wants to go to Honolulu and meet with the governor, that’s fine. But I can tell you from personal experience that if he goes to Maui, it will interrupt operations because the United States Secret Service will put an air cap over Maui,” Mr Brown said. “They won’t let any helicopters fly. It will be a complete disaster,” he added.

Talking to Mr Brown, host Laura Ingraham said she wasn’t sure “anyone was expecting” Mr Biden to “descend on the ruins” anyway.

“Mr Biden is supposed to be Mr Empathy,” Ingraham continued. “And you don’t see it when you are at the beach. This is a horrific event for the United States. If Donald Trump was at the beach when something like this happened under his watch — I mean, they always criticise him for being on the golf course, I know — but this really took the cake.”

The former FEMA administrator concurred, accusing the president of not knowing how to use “the bully pulpit to talk about everything that’s going on and assuring the people in Maui — and frankly all Americans — that the federal government is doing every single thing that they should be doing.”

ICYMI: Maui wildfire official quits after defending decision not to sound sirens warning of blaze

Friday 18 August 2023 21:00 , Ariana Baio

Maui’s top emergencies official has abruptly resigned as local authorities came under increasing scrutiny over their response to the devastating wildfires that have killed at least 111 people on the Hawaiian island so far.

Herman Andaya, the chief of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, sent his letter of resignation to mayor Richard Bissen on Thursday and it was accepted immediately, the county of Maui confirmed in a statement.

Mr Andaya cited unspecified health reasons for his decision, with no further details provided in the letter.

Stuti Mishra reports:

Maui wildfire official quits after defending decision not to sound sirens

FBI assisting in collecting DNA to identify wildfire victims

Friday 18 August 2023 20:30 , Ariana Baio

Hawaii homeowner made basic property upgrades that saved house from fire

Friday 18 August 2023 20:00 , Ariana Baio

Dora Atwater Millikin and her husband, made minor adjustments that contributed to saving their property.

Part of that included replacing the asphalt roof with a heavy-gauge metal roof and cutting down the foliage surrounding the home, Ms Atwater Millikin told The Los Angeles Times.

Ms Atwater Millikin said she and her husband recently renovated the house and they had no intention of making adjustments that would protect it from fire.

“It’s a 100 per cent wood house so it’s not like we fireproofed it or anything,” she said.

Instead, they chose to restore the 100-year-old home to some of its original features, like changing the roof to either a wooden shake or a thinner tin material. They also placed stones around the home that line up to the drip line of the roof.

She told the Los Angeles Times, they removed foliage around the house because they wanted to take preventative action against termites spreading to the house’s wood frame.

“We love old buildings, so we just wanted to honor the building,” Ms Atwater Millikin said. “And we didn’t change the building in any way — we just restored it.

The changes, while minor, ended up being critical to keeping the home from catching ablaze.

“When this was all happening, there were pieces of wood — six, 12 inches long — that were on fire and just almost floating through the air with the wind and everything,” Ms Atwater Millikin said.

Watch: Emotional Maui resident asks why President Joe Biden hasn’t visited after wildfires

Friday 18 August 2023 19:30 , Ariana Baio

County of Maui provides temporary ID cards to those who lost theirs in wildfires

Friday 18 August 2023 19:00 , Ariana Baio

Maui teachers fear children will be among dead as 7-year-old found in burned car

Friday 18 August 2023 18:40 , Ariana Baio

As officials in Hawaii work to determine the identities of the over 100 people who died in the Maui wildfires, members of the community fear that children will make up a large part of that death toll.

When the fast-moving wildfires broke out on 8 August, many children were home from school because dangerous winds from a hurricane off the coast of Hawaii forced school closures.

But with no warning that fires near Lahaina were about to engulf the town, there was no time for people to conduct orderly evacuations to keep track of children and ensure they got to safety first.

Ariana Baio reports:

Maui teachers fear children will be among dead as 7-year-old found in burned car

Identifying victims of the Maui wildfire will be a challenging task

Friday 18 August 2023 18:20 , Ariana Baio

Dozens of search crews and cadaver dogs went through devastated areas of Lahaina this week.

The federal government said it dispatched coroners, pathologists, technicians, X-ray units and other equipment to identify victims and process remains.

US Department of Health and Human Services official Jonathan Greene said the work stood to be “ very, very difficult ” and called for patience.

Rapid DNA-testing machines that were used after a 2018 blaze that largely destroyed Paradise, California, also are being put to work in Maui. The instruments, roughly the size of a large computer printer or microwave oven, were developed a decade or so ago and designed for use in the field

In some situations, dental work, prosthetics, surgical implants, fingerprints, tattoos or other body markings can reveal a person’s identity. But the heat and power of a wildfire can destroy these clues, and dental and medical records sometimes are unavailable or difficult to track down.

An intense fire also can leave remains too damaged for DNA extraction, though there have been scientific strides. New York City, notably, has retested fragmentary remains of 9/11 victims as techniques evolved over the years and created new prospects for reading genetic code diminished by fire, sunlight, bacteria and more.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Family friends of Maui victim says he died helping others

Friday 18 August 2023 18:00 , Ariana Baio

Joseph Schilling was last seen evacuating his home in Lahaina on 8 August. His close friends confirmed his death on social media and a GoFundMe page.

Akiva Bluh, a family friend of Schilling, who she referred to as “Uncle Joe”, described him as “caring, outgoing, funny, easygoing, joyous, and LOVING.”

Bluh said Schilling was informally adopted into their family where he acted “out of love and kindness” toward Bluh and their brothers, became best friends with Bluh’s father and quickly became friends with their mother.

“Joe passed while aiding in evacuating five elderly people in his housing complex. Joe passed as a HERO. His character showed until his very last moments. To everybody who had the pleasure of meeting my Uncle Joe, count your lucky stars; rarely do you get to meet such a genuine soul,” Bluh wrote.

The County of Maui has not confirmed Schilling’s death as of Friday afternoon.

Maui teachers fear children will be among dead as 7-year-old found in burned car

Friday 18 August 2023 17:40 , Ariana Baio

As officials in Hawaii work to determine the identities of the over 100 people who died in the Maui wildfires, members of the community fear that children will make up a large part of that death toll.

When the fast-moving wildfires broke out on 8 August, many children were home from school because dangerous winds from a hurricane off the coast of Hawaii forced school closures.

But with no warning that fires near Lahaina were about to engulf the town, there was no time for people to conduct orderly evacuations to keep track of children and ensure they got to safety first.

Maui teachers fear children will be among dead as 7-year-old found in burned car

Hawaii teachers fear children will be among dead

Friday 18 August 2023 17:20 , Ariana Baio

As officials in Hawaii work to determine the identities of the over 100 people who died in the Maui wildfires, members of the community fear that children will make up a large part of that number.

When the fast-moving wildfires broke out on 8 August, many children were home from school because dangerous winds from a hurricane off the coast of Hawaii forced school closures.

Jessica Sill, an elementary school teacher at Lahaina King Kamehameha III, told The Wall Street Journal that she fears some children were home alone the day of the fires.

“Our parents work one, two, three jobs just to get by and they can’t afford to take a day off,” Ms Sill said. “Without school, there was nowhere for [children] to go that day.”

Kelly Gallego, an eighth-grade teacher at Lahaina Intermediate School said her heart breaks thinking about missing families.

“When it comes to thinking about some of those families not being there…I don’t have words to express how much my heart is breaking now,” Ms Gallego told WSJ.

Another elementary school teacher, Justin Hughey who works in special education, said he too is thinking about the aftermath of his students’ mental health.

“We don’t even know if our kids are still there, if the kids are still alive,” Mr Hughey told Civil Beat. “And then you gotta deal with all the trauma that the kids have gone through.”

71-year-old among the victims

Friday 18 August 2023 17:00 , Ariana Baio

The County of Maui announced on Thursday evening that among the victims is 71-year-old Donna Gomes of Lahaina.

Gomes, a mother and grandmother, died in the wildfires on 8 August.

Gomes’ grandchild created a GoFundMe to collect donations in order to support their family after they lost everything in the Maui wildfires.

“Not only have we lost our homes but our family is also grieving the loss of our family backbone,” Tehani Kuhaulua wrote.

More than half of burned area searched

Friday 18 August 2023 16:40 , Ariana Baio

Approximately 58 per cent of the burned area in Lahaina, Maui has been searched, officials in the County of Maui said on Thursday evening.

So far, 111 people have been found but only 10 have been identified.

Cadaver dogs are expected to continue the search for victims this week.

Hawaii governor Josh Green said he expected the death to rise as the search continues.

Video shows volunteers helping in wildfire relief

Friday 18 August 2023 16:20 , Ariana Baio

LA sports teams donate to Maui wildfires

Friday 18 August 2023 16:00 , Ariana Baio

Twelve professional sports teams from Los Angeles, California are teaming up to donate $450,000 to help those affected by the wildfires in Maui.

The Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Dodgers, Angels, Rams, Chargers, Sparks, Galaxy, LAFC, Kings, Anaheim Ducks and Angel City Football Club are apart of the initiative to provide support to the American Red Cross relief efforts.

“Southern California has long had a connection with the state of Hawaii with a massive Hawaiian community being present and many teams contributing to that connection throughout the years,” a press release from the LA teams reads.

“Notably, the Lakers held training camp in Hawaii for more than 25 years and have played numerous preseason games in Honolulu. In fact, the Showtime reunion in 2022 took place in Maui.”

Watch: Governor Josh Green provides update on 17 August

Friday 18 August 2023 15:40 , Ariana Baio

Department of Defense supporting FEMA in six missions

Friday 18 August 2023 15:20 , Ariana Baio

The Department of Defense (DoD) is assisting Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel in Maui through six missions, they said in a press release.

The missions include operating a Defense Coordinating Element office, including liaison officers, assisting in air and sea transportation for moving supplies, cargo and equipment, using the Schofield Barracks to support life and emergency responders, strategising transportation of personnel and cargo, standing by for aerial fire suppression and suing the US Army Reserve Center as a base for FEMA.

Lahaina fire is 90 per cent contained

Friday 18 August 2023 15:00 , Ariana Baio

The first in Lahaina, Maui that began on 8 August is approximately 90 per cent contained, the County of Maui said in a Facebook post.

“There are no active threats at this time,” County of Maui wrote. “[Maui Fire Department] and United States Army Reserve were on site today.”

So far, the fire has burned an estimated 2,169 acres.

Once a fire is 100 per cent contained it means firefighters have the perimeter of the fire surrounded. When the fire burns out completely and there is nothing left burning it is finally declared extinguished.

Maui rebuilding efforts will likely cost more than a typical disaster relief

Friday 18 August 2023 14:40 , Ariana Baio

Already, doing business in Hawaii is 30 per cent more expensive than the cost of doing business in the rest of the United States. So now with many homes and businesses needing to be rebuilt, officials are expecting it to be very pricy.

One catastrophe modeling firm called Verisk told CNN that construction costs on Hawaii can expect to be 44 per cent more than typical.

“Based on similar historical events, this is likely conservative, as building delays and supply and demand cause additional pressures on reconstruction costs,” Verisk said.

Part of this reason is the cost of importing expensive materials like lumber to the island and paying for labour.