Wildfires in Hawaii are like war zones
The devastating wildfires in Hawaii such as the war zone have scorched the town of Lahaina in Maui, Hawaii, and claimed at least 93 lives. Relatives of the missing continue to search for signs that their loved ones may still be alive.
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| The shells of burned houses and buildings are left after wildfires driven by high winds burned across most of the town in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, U.S. August 11, 2023. (Photo: Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources/Handout via REUTERS) |
Hawaii Governor Josh Green likened the situation in the city of Lahaina to a "war zone."
Until now, the city of Lahaina is still in the acute recovery phase
As reported by Reuters, Monday (08/14/2023), the city of Lahaina was shrouded in destruction after a fast-moving fire engulfed the area of Maui's northwest coast on Tuesday (8/8) last week. The raging fires flattened much of the historic resort town and scorched everything in its path.
Days after the fire started, firefighters were still battling the blaze. Sniffer dogs searched for victims who might have been crushed by the charred rubble of the city, while local officials were shocked to realize the scale of the disaster.
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"Currently, we are still in the throes of the acute recovery phase, which means we are still trying to find the tragic death toll," Green told local media MSNBC on Sunday (13/8) local time.
Green again pledged to investigate the response to the emerging blaze and emergency notification system after some residents questioned whether more could be done to warn them.
Some locals said they received little warning as the blaze devastated the town around them within minutes. Some other people even desperately plunged into the waters of the Pacific Ocean to save themselves from the fire.
Some sirens placed around the island of Maui -- meant to warn of impending natural disasters -- never go off when wildfires break out. Widespread power outages and mobile network outages hamper other forms of warning.
"We'll soon find out if enough has been done to activate the siren," Green said in the interview.
Local authorities have secured 1,000 hotel rooms for people who have lost their homes and arranged for rentable properties to be used as no-cost housing for families affected by the fire. More than 1,400 people have been taken to emergency shelters.
Meanwhile, people are also continuing to check online databases, sourced from many people, that list thousands of names of individuals who have been found as well as people still missing.
Family and friends of the missing shared information via social media about their loved ones whose whereabouts are unknown. Hundreds of people have been reported missing so far since the fires broke out last week, but the exact figure is unclear.