2023-08-16 05:04:00
The death toll in the fire in Hawaii, the most lethal in the United States in more than a century, surpassed 100, but the number could “double” during the week, warned the authorities, much criticized for their management.
“101 lives have already been lost,” Hawaii Governor Josh Green said in a televised address, adding that rescue teams had already tracked more than a quarter of the search area they had to cover.
“During the next 10 days, this number could double,” said the governor earlier on broadcaster CNN.
The balance increases as the emergency teams, with the help of sniffer dogs, advance in the search work among burned houses and vehicles.
Only 25% of the affected area has been screened so far, officials said on Monday night.
Rescuers “must find 10 to 20 people a day until they’re done with their work,” Green warned on CBS.
In Lahaina, a coastal town of 12,000 on the island of Maui, the flames were so intense they melted metal.
The recovered bodies are difficult to identify, explained local police chief John Pelletier.
So far, only three bodies have been recognized “by their fingerprints”, added the police officer, who asked the relatives of the missing people to undergo DNA tests.
Authorities intend to limit access to Lahaina during all search operations, as a precaution against possible chemicals, and out of respect for the victims.
The local government registers 1,300 missing people. The number dwindles as communications are progressively re-established on the island of Maui and inhabitants are able to get in touch with their families.
– “Lack of communication” –
The several fires that broke out last week, fueled by strong winds and drought on the island, remain active, despite efforts by firefighters to control the flames.
The authorities, however, do not seem worried about the tropical storm that is expected to cross the south of the archipelago in the early hours of Wednesday to Thursday. “It will have virtually no impact,” the US weather service said.
Flames reached or destroyed more than 2,200 structures in Lahaina. Officially, the damage is calculated at 5.5 billion dollars (26.9 billion reais), not counting the thousands of people who lost their homes.
This is the deadliest fire in the United States since 1918, when 453 people died in Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to the National Fire Protection Association, a nonprofit research group.
The number of fatalities exceeds that of the ‘Camp Fire’ fire, in 2018, in California, which practically erased the small town of Paradise from the map and killed 86 people.
The circumstances of last week’s flash fires have yet to be determined. And the resentment of the population against the authorities continues to grow.
“The lack of communication is abysmal, people are very angry and frustrated. The situation is only getting worse”, declared AFP pastor Stephen Van Bueren, who saw his church destroyed.
During the fires, official alerts on television, radio and cell phones were useless because many residents were without electricity or internet connection. The alarm sirens didn’t work.
– Criticisms of Trump –
An investigation was opened to investigate the management of the crisis.
“We think the sirens were essentially immobilized due to the extreme heat in Maui,” Green said.
The governor’s gesture was criticized by former US President Donald Trump. “Want to do nothing but blame climate change,” he wrote on the Truth Social network.
Many Lahaina residents said they learned of the fire when they saw neighbors running in the streets or when they saw the flames.
“The mountain behind our house caught fire and nobody warned us,” lamented Vilma Reed, 63, who had her home destroyed.
She said that she ran away without taking anything, and that she now depends on donations. “This is my house now,” said the woman, as she pointed to the car where she slept with her daughter, granddaughter and two cats.
Mazie Hirono, a Democratic senator from the archipelago, told CNN that she is not looking for excuses for the tragedy.”
Electric utility Hawaiian Electric is also criticized.
The company is accused of having maintained “its power lines when forecasts pointed to a high risk of fires” and strong winds, fueled by a hurricane that passed southwest of Maui.
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