Maui Wildfires and Hurricane Dora: Devastation and Recovery Efforts

Editor’s Note:

Editor’s Note: Find Friday’s Maui wildfires story here.

Source:

CNN — 

Overview:

The catastrophic wildfires that have been scorching Maui for three days have killed at least 53 people, officials said Thursday – a number they expect will keep rising as search teams begin venturing into neighborhoods and homes that were reduced to ashes.

Widespread Devastation:

Officials say the devastation is so widespread – and so catastrophic – that it’s hard to estimate just how many buildings were burned to the ground or damaged, but they estimate hundreds of structures have been impacted.

Loss of an Entire Neighborhood:

The “older neighborhood” of Lahaina, an economic hub in western Maui that drew millions of tourists each year, is destroyed, Maui County Mayor Richard T. Bissen Jr. said in a Thursday afternoon news conference.

“It’s all gone,” he said.

Search and Rescue Efforts:

And with power and cell service out in western Maui, officials don’t know how many people who may have tried to escape are still missing.

Historic Disaster:

“What we saw was likely the largest natural disaster in Hawaii’s state history,” Gov. Josh Green said in the news conference after touring Lahaina on Thursday. “All of us will have a loved one here on Maui that we know of, that lost a house, that lost a friend.”

Humanitarian Response:

With thousands of people now with nowhere to go, Green appealed to hotels and residents across the state to open their rooms and homes to those who have been displaced.

Second Deadliest Blaze in a Century:

The 53 deaths would make the wildfire that torched Lahaina’s historic districts the second deadliest blaze in the United States in a century. It would trail only California’s Camp Fire, which killed 85 people in 2018.