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Hawaii fires: death toll increases to 67, says Maui county – live | Hawaii

Summary

In case you’re just joining us, here’s a rundown on the latest developments:

  • The death toll from the Maui wildfires has risen to 67, making it officially the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii’s history. A 1960 tsunami in Hilo town on the Big Island previously held the designation.

  • The wildfires continue to ravage Maui, the county announced about three hours ago. The Lahaina fire is not yet contained.

  • The fires are projected to be the second-costliest disaster in the state’s history, the Associated Press reported. It comes second to Hurricane Iniki, which swept through Kauai in 1992, killing six people and leaving an estimated $3bn in damages.

  • Hawaii governor Josh Green told NBC News it was “to early for me to tell” if Maui’s emergency siren system worked properly before the wildfires spread. Officials said late on Thursday that the state’s emergency management records did not indicate that sirens were triggered.

  • The US military sent 133 national guard members to Hawaii to support the emergency response efforts on the ground and in the air, the Washington Post reported.

  • US defence secretary Lloyd Austin pledged “any resources that were necessary and appropriate” to help with the disaster response and recovery, Hawaii senator Brian Schatz said after speaking with him.

  • Schatz also he expected the death toll to rise and that specialists with dogs would soon be arriving on Maui to enter destroyed structures.

  • The coast guard rescued 17 people who jumped into the Pacific ocean to save themselves from the Lahaina wildfire, CNN reported. Footage posted to social media shows people in the ocean as smoke rolls overhead.

  • Residents of West Maui with ID showing proof of residence could access Lahaina via Maalaea – east of the fires – starting at noon local time, county officials said. Visitors with proof of hotel reservations could also enter. Schatz said Maui roads “should be opening by noon today”.

  • Power and cell service is slowly coming back after the fires cut off communication for many residents, reports say, but nearly 11,000 were still without power in Maui as of 10.15am local time, according to PowerOutage.US.

Key events

Two wildfires including the Lahaina blaze are mainly contained but firefighters continue to battle flare-ups in three fires, the county of Maui says.

Its 3pm update said the Lahaina fire was 85% contained while the Pulehu/Kihei blaze – about 20 miles (30km) east – was 80% under control.

Half of the fire in upcountry Maui fire was contained, the county said on its website.

Firefighters continue battling flare-ups in all three fires.

Residents in Kula and Lahaina who have running water have been warned not to drink it and to take only short, lukewarm showers “in a well-ventilated room” to avoid exposure to possible chemical vapors, Associated Press reports

The Maui county water agency’s director, John Stufflebean, said people in Kula and Lahaina should not even drink water after boiling it until further notice, as hundreds of pipes have been damaged by the wildfires.

Volunteers help with community donations of drinking water at King’s Cathedral in Kahului, Maui. Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters

Whenever a water pipe is damaged or a city water tank is drawn down very quickly, it can lose pressure. That can cause the unpressurized pipes to suck in smoke and other contaminants. Some of the contaminants that are common with urban wildfires can cause cancer.

Stufflebean said crews were now shutting off valves for damaged pipes to avoid contamination. Next, the Department of Water Supply will flush the system, which could take a few days. Then officials planned to test for bacteria and an array of volatile organic compounds, following recommendations from the Hawaii Department of Health, he said.

Summary

In case you’re just joining us, here’s a rundown on the latest developments:

  • The death toll from the Maui wildfires has risen to 67, making it officially the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii’s history. A 1960 tsunami in Hilo town on the Big Island previously held the designation.

  • The wildfires continue to ravage Maui, the county announced about three hours ago. The Lahaina fire is not yet contained.

  • The fires are projected to be the second-costliest disaster in the state’s history, the Associated Press reported. It comes second to Hurricane Iniki, which swept through Kauai in 1992, killing six people and leaving an estimated $3bn in damages.

  • Hawaii governor Josh Green told NBC News it was “to early for me to tell” if Maui’s emergency siren system worked properly before the wildfires spread. Officials said late on Thursday that the state’s emergency management records did not indicate that sirens were triggered.

  • The US military sent 133 national guard members to Hawaii to support the emergency response efforts on the ground and in the air, the Washington Post reported.

  • US defence secretary Lloyd Austin pledged “any resources that were necessary and appropriate” to help with the disaster response and recovery, Hawaii senator Brian Schatz said after speaking with him.

  • Schatz also he expected the death toll to rise and that specialists with dogs would soon be arriving on Maui to enter destroyed structures.

  • The coast guard rescued 17 people who jumped into the Pacific ocean to save themselves from the Lahaina wildfire, CNN reported. Footage posted to social media shows people in the ocean as smoke rolls overhead.

  • Residents of West Maui with ID showing proof of residence could access Lahaina via Maalaea – east of the fires – starting at noon local time, county officials said. Visitors with proof of hotel reservations could also enter. Schatz said Maui roads “should be opening by noon today”.

  • Power and cell service is slowly coming back after the fires cut off communication for many residents, reports say, but nearly 11,000 were still without power in Maui as of 10.15am local time, according to PowerOutage.US.

Brian Schatz said specialist dogs would be brought to Maui to enter destroyed structures and he expected the death toll to rise.

The Hawaii senator said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) administrator would be arriving tonight “to be on the scene by tomorrow morning”.

Schatz said in his video statement posted on X, formerly Twitter:

FEMA is sending something called a DMORT team [disaster mortuary operational response team] and those are specialists with dogs to actually enter the structures that were destroyed.

And I think it’s fair to say that the mortality count is going to rise.

Schatz added:

I’m sorry that this is not entirely good news but we’re working on it. And please hang together and please go to hawaiicommunityfoundation.org if you want to help.

Hawaii senator Brian Schatz also said that Maui roads “should be opening by noon today” so that west Maui residents whose homes were not destroyed could access them again.

He said in his video statement:

People who live in west Maui whose homes were not destroyed can also go to Kahului to pick up a prescription or whatever it is. I know people are running out of gasoline and water and all the supplies they need.

Senator Schatz at a Thursday press conference
Senator Schatz at a Thursday press conference. Photograph: Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

Lloyd Austin pledges ‘any resources’ needed, says Hawaii senator

Senator Brian Schatz says he has spoken to Lloyd Austin and that the US defence secretary “pledged any resources that were necessary and appropriate” to help with the disaster response and recovery, including debris removal.

The Hawaii senator said in a video posted on former Twitter site X that Shalanda Young, director of the Biden administration’s Office of Management and Budget, had also been in touch “because we’re going to need an emergency supplemental appropriations bill”.

Schatz said:

I just sort of conveyed to her that although the damage assessment won’t be done for at least another month – probably a couple of months – it’s certainly likely to be in the billions of dollars.

The coast guard rescued 17 people who jumped into the Pacific ocean to save themselves from the wildfire that tore through Lahaina, CNN reported.

Dramatic footage shared to social media shows people in the ocean as smoke rolls overhead.

This is the first I’ve seen this video – The people who jumped into the Pacific Ocean to save their lives as Lahaina, Hawaii burned. Shocking, and terrifying.

pic.twitter.com/EgQArUSWsZ

— Justin Michaels (@JMichaelsNews) August 11, 2023

The updated fatality count of 67 makes the Maui wildfires the deadliest natural disaster in the state of Hawaii’s history. Before that designation went to a tsunami in Hilo in 1960, a town on the island of Hawaii, CNN has reported.

The waves that hit Hilo Bay reached a heigh of 35ft, compared with 3ft to 17ft waves that landed elsewhere, according to the US Geological Survey.

Maui wildfire death toll rises to 67

Sixty-seven people have lost their lives in the wildfires that continue to ravage Maui, the county announced moments ago.

The Lahaina fire is not yet contained.

The recent wildfires in Maui are projected to be the second costliest disaster in the state’s history, the Associated Press has reported.

They come second to Hurricane Iniki, which swept through Kauai in September 1992, killed six people and left an estimated $3bn in damages, according to a Central Pacific Hurricane Center report.

Maui wildifire death count rises to 59

Fifty-nine people have been killed in the recent wildfires on Maui, according to Hawaii governor Josh Green.

All of those deaths occurred out in the open, not inside buildings, as people were trying to escape the fire,” Green told CNN on Friday.

Residents and cadaver-sniffing dogs are inspecting what is left of Lahaina after the devastating fires decimated homes and business.

Those who returned found heirlooms and keepsakes destroyed or missing.

“My kids’ yearbooks and all that kind of stuff. Their baby pictures. That’s what hurts a mother the most,” Lana Vierra, a Lahaina resident whose home was destroyed in Tuesday’s fire told the Associated Press.

Fellow residents Summer and Gilles Gerling visited their charred home and discovered that their wedding rings were missing. They were able to recover a piggy bank Summer father gave her as a child, their daughter’s jade bracelet and wedding gifts they got for each other.

“It is what it is,” Gilles told the AP. “Safety was the main concern. These are all material things.”

Cadaver-sniffing dogs were brought in Friday to assist the search for the dead, the Maui county mayor, Richard Bissen Jr said.

Read the rest of the AP’s on the ground coverage here.

Governor says unclear if emergency siren system failed

Hawaii governor Josh Green told NBC News he couldn’t say whether Maui’s emergency siren system worked properly before the deadly wildfires spread:

It’s too early for me to tell. Much of the equipment was destroyed with fire and it’s a very remote place. This was a western edge of the island of Maui. Of course, we would never diminish any kind of responsibility …

I’m very reluctant to blame anyone. We were fighting multiple fires that were being moved. Because of these winds, we’re of course, like everyone else, dealing with the extreme changes, global warming, the drying of our land. And then when this storm passed to the south of Hawaii, that was the hurricane – it sent those winds.”

Officials said late on Thursday that the state’s emergency management records did not indicate that sirens were triggered, even though the state has said it has the world’s largest integrated outdoor all-hazard public safety warning system, the Guardian previously reported. The county’s system did send emergency alerts to cellphones and television and radio stations, but power outages may have limited the impact.

Elizabeth Pickett, co-executive director of the nonprofit Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, was critical of the state’s response in an interview with the the Honolulu Civil Beat. She co-wrote a report in 2014 that warned of the increasing wildfire risk to Lahaina. She told the media outlet:

We keep hearing from certain elected officials and other people being quoted in the media, ‘We had no idea, this is unprecedented.’ But actually, those of us in the wildfire community, meaning our fire agencies, our forestry natural resource management community, we have long been working to increase our risk reduction efforts…

It might not have been 100% preventable, but it could have been mitigated. It could have been lessened.”



Summarize this content to 100 words SummaryIn case you’re just joining us, here’s a rundown on the latest developments: The death toll from the Maui wildfires has risen to 67, making it officially the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii’s history. A 1960 tsunami in Hilo town on the Big Island previously held the designation. The wildfires continue to ravage Maui, the county announced about three hours ago. The Lahaina fire is not yet contained. The fires are projected to be the second-costliest disaster in the state’s history, the Associated Press reported. It comes second to Hurricane Iniki, which swept through Kauai in 1992, killing six people and leaving an estimated $3bn in damages. Hawaii governor Josh Green told NBC News it was “to early for me to tell” if Maui’s emergency siren system worked properly before the wildfires spread. Officials said late on Thursday that the state’s emergency management records did not indicate that sirens were triggered. The US military sent 133 national guard members to Hawaii to support the emergency response efforts on the ground and in the air, the Washington Post reported. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin pledged “any resources that were necessary and appropriate” to help with the disaster response and recovery, Hawaii senator Brian Schatz said after speaking with him. Schatz also he expected the death toll to rise and that specialists with dogs would soon be arriving on Maui to enter destroyed structures. The coast guard rescued 17 people who jumped into the Pacific ocean to save themselves from the Lahaina wildfire, CNN reported. Footage posted to social media shows people in the ocean as smoke rolls overhead. Residents of West Maui with ID showing proof of residence could access Lahaina via Maalaea – east of the fires – starting at noon local time, county officials said. Visitors with proof of hotel reservations could also enter. Schatz said Maui roads “should be opening by noon today”. Power and cell service is slowly coming back after the fires cut off communication for many residents, reports say, but nearly 11,000 were still without power in Maui as of 10.15am local time, according to PowerOutage.US. Updated at 23.01 EDTKey eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureTwo wildfires including the Lahaina blaze are mainly contained but firefighters continue to battle flare-ups in three fires, the county of Maui says.Its 3pm update said the Lahaina fire was 85% contained while the Pulehu/Kihei blaze – about 20 miles (30km) east – was 80% under control.Half of the fire in upcountry Maui fire was contained, the county said on its website. Firefighters continue battling flare-ups in all three fires. Updated at 23.14 EDTResidents in Kula and Lahaina who have running water have been warned not to drink it and to take only short, lukewarm showers “in a well-ventilated room” to avoid exposure to possible chemical vapors, Associated Press reportsThe Maui county water agency’s director, John Stufflebean, said people in Kula and Lahaina should not even drink water after boiling it until further notice, as hundreds of pipes have been damaged by the wildfires.Volunteers help with community donations of drinking water at King’s Cathedral in Kahului, Maui. Photograph: Mike Blake/ReutersWhenever a water pipe is damaged or a city water tank is drawn down very quickly, it can lose pressure. That can cause the unpressurized pipes to suck in smoke and other contaminants. Some of the contaminants that are common with urban wildfires can cause cancer.Stufflebean said crews were now shutting off valves for damaged pipes to avoid contamination. Next, the Department of Water Supply will flush the system, which could take a few days. Then officials planned to test for bacteria and an array of volatile organic compounds, following recommendations from the Hawaii Department of Health, he said.Updated at 22.48 EDTSummaryIn case you’re just joining us, here’s a rundown on the latest developments: The death toll from the Maui wildfires has risen to 67, making it officially the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii’s history. A 1960 tsunami in Hilo town on the Big Island previously held the designation. The wildfires continue to ravage Maui, the county announced about three hours ago. The Lahaina fire is not yet contained. The fires are projected to be the second-costliest disaster in the state’s history, the Associated Press reported. It comes second to Hurricane Iniki, which swept through Kauai in 1992, killing six people and leaving an estimated $3bn in damages. Hawaii governor Josh Green told NBC News it was “to early for me to tell” if Maui’s emergency siren system worked properly before the wildfires spread. Officials said late on Thursday that the state’s emergency management records did not indicate that sirens were triggered. The US military sent 133 national guard members to Hawaii to support the emergency response efforts on the ground and in the air, the Washington Post reported. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin pledged “any resources that were necessary and appropriate” to help with the disaster response and recovery, Hawaii senator Brian Schatz said after speaking with him. Schatz also he expected the death toll to rise and that specialists with dogs would soon be arriving on Maui to enter destroyed structures. The coast guard rescued 17 people who jumped into the Pacific ocean to save themselves from the Lahaina wildfire, CNN reported. Footage posted to social media shows people in the ocean as smoke rolls overhead. Residents of West Maui with ID showing proof of residence could access Lahaina via Maalaea – east of the fires – starting at noon local time, county officials said. Visitors with proof of hotel reservations could also enter. Schatz said Maui roads “should be opening by noon today”. Power and cell service is slowly coming back after the fires cut off communication for many residents, reports say, but nearly 11,000 were still without power in Maui as of 10.15am local time, according to PowerOutage.US. Updated at 23.01 EDTBrian Schatz said specialist dogs would be brought to Maui to enter destroyed structures and he expected the death toll to rise.The Hawaii senator said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) administrator would be arriving tonight “to be on the scene by tomorrow morning”.Schatz said in his video statement posted on X, formerly Twitter: FEMA is sending something called a DMORT team [disaster mortuary operational response team] and those are specialists with dogs to actually enter the structures that were destroyed. And I think it’s fair to say that the mortality count is going to rise. Schatz added: I’m sorry that this is not entirely good news but we’re working on it. And please hang together and please go to hawaiicommunityfoundation.org if you want to help. Updated at 22.03 EDTHawaii senator Brian Schatz also said that Maui roads “should be opening by noon today” so that west Maui residents whose homes were not destroyed could access them again.He said in his video statement: People who live in west Maui whose homes were not destroyed can also go to Kahului to pick up a prescription or whatever it is. I know people are running out of gasoline and water and all the supplies they need. Senator Schatz at a Thursday press conference. Photograph: Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Getty ImagesUpdated at 21.43 EDTLloyd Austin pledges ‘any resources’ needed, says Hawaii senatorSenator Brian Schatz says he has spoken to Lloyd Austin and that the US defence secretary “pledged any resources that were necessary and appropriate” to help with the disaster response and recovery, including debris removal.The Hawaii senator said in a video posted on former Twitter site X that Shalanda Young, director of the Biden administration’s Office of Management and Budget, had also been in touch “because we’re going to need an emergency supplemental appropriations bill”.Schatz said: I just sort of conveyed to her that although the damage assessment won’t be done for at least another month – probably a couple of months – it’s certainly likely to be in the billions of dollars. Updated at 21.30 EDTThe coast guard rescued 17 people who jumped into the Pacific ocean to save themselves from the wildfire that tore through Lahaina, CNN reported.Dramatic footage shared to social media shows people in the ocean as smoke rolls overhead.This is the first I’ve seen this video – The people who jumped into the Pacific Ocean to save their lives as Lahaina, Hawaii burned. Shocking, and terrifying.pic.twitter.com/EgQArUSWsZ— Justin Michaels (@JMichaelsNews) August 11, 2023 The updated fatality count of 67 makes the Maui…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2023/aug/11/hawaii-wildfires-maui-lahainia-search-survivors-evacuation Hawaii fires: death toll increases to 67, says Maui county – live | Hawaii

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