Update: 8:30 PM
Maui County provided Regarding the four fires reported this evening, August 8th.
The Olinda fire is now 85% extinguished and an estimated 1,081 acres has been destroyed. The Maui Fire Department is supporting the State Forest and Wildfire Service in this joint firefighting effort. Twenty-seven firefighters, six engines and other equipment are engaged in combat. The perimeter is being held, and containment efforts are focused primarily on eliminating the hotspots that dot the canyon.
The Kula fire is now 80% extinguished and an estimated 202 acres has been destroyed.
The Lahaina Fire is now 89% extinguished and an estimated 2,170 acres have been destroyed.
The Pulev/Kihei fire was declared 100% extinguished on August 12th. No active threats at this time.
Remaining moisture from Tropical Storm Fernanda is expected to approach the state later Sunday, according to the National Weather Service, with windward and mountain slopes in Maui County seeing the highest amount of total precipitation Monday afternoon through Tuesday. Expected in the morning. With heavy rains and flooding imminent, the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Transportation have worked to deploy storm drain protection and absorbent booms in several wildfire-affected areas. . Among them are eight storm drains that enter the sea within the affected area. Area of the town of Lahaina.
According to the county, 43 residents remain in emergency shelters on the island. The Hannibal Tavares Community Center will be closed on Sunday due to lack of residents.
6:45 p.m.
About 1,800 Hawaiian Electric customers in Olowal, Lahaina and surrounding areas have been without power for 11 days after a massive wind and fire storm.
Hawaiian Electric announced tonight that its crews are working to restore a critical circuit in West Maui that provides essential services such as grocery stores and pharmacies, as well as county sewage pumping facilities in the Lahaina area.
“Once the circuit is restored, coordination between the county response team and individual businesses and properties will determine next steps toward the reopening of each of these commercial properties,” Hawaiian Electric’s news release said. said.
The crew is also working to restore a pocket power outage in inland Maui, the company said.
Power has been restored to more than 80% of customers who lost power and about 90% of the island, according to Hawaiian Electric.
12:15 pm
Maui County is providing mobile waste and sanitation facilities to support community-led resilience hubs around Lahaina.
In a news release, the Maui County Environmental Management Department said it can provide trash cans, cardboard recycling bins, portable toilets, hand-washing stations and mobile showers upon request.
“These community-driven outposts are located throughout areas heavily impacted by last week’s wildfires. They provide valuable resources and assistance during this difficult time,” the county said in a news release. “As these hubs and their organizers continue to serve in the aftermath of the wildfires, we hope that these requests will enhance communication, streamline future assistance, and ensure that the hubs continue to operate as the lengthy recovery process continues. We look forward to giving the organizers even more power.”
According to the county, supplies of these sanitation and waste facilities are limited. Hub leaders can request them by contacting the DEM at 808-270–7880 or by emailing recycle.maui@mauicounty.gov.
10:40 am
The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans to keep all 1,000 people on Maui and Honolulu in place despite the threat of Hurricane Hillary in the same western region as Hawaii, said FEMA Administrator Diane. Criswell told reporters on a conference call this morning.
FEMA assistance for potential storm damage to states such as California, Nevada and Arizona will come from other regions of FEMA, she said.
Criswell did not provide details about whether President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will visit Lahaina on Monday, including whether they will fly over the damaged areas or will be seen from the ground.
The White House earlier said Biden would meet with survivors and first responders.
Criswell acknowledged complaints from survivors who applied for assistance whose documents were destroyed or who lived in apartments whose names were not listed on their rental agreements.
She met a survivor last week who lives in a house with 35 people.
Criswell said FEMA’s policy changes over the past two years were to make it easier for people in similar situations to get federal aid.
previous coverage
As the search continues for an estimated 1,000 people missing from the August 8 Lahaina wildfires, government and community efforts continue on Maui and island-wide to provide relief to Valley Island residents.
The official death toll from the Lahaina disaster this morning stands at 114, of which 10 have been confirmed, according to Maui County. The families of the six victims have been notified. Four more victims have been identified, but their families are missing and no information has been obtained, according to the county.
Maui police said Friday night that 78 percent of the burned area in Lahaina had been searched. The Maui Fire Department said the Olinda fire burned an estimated 1,081 acres and was 85% extinguished. The Kula fire was 85% extinguished and burned about 202 acres. And the Lahaina Fire is 90% extinguished after burning 2,168 acres and over 2,000 structures. There was no active fire threat as of Friday night, according to MFD.
Eleven days after the firestorm, federal, state, and county officials still don’t know how many people are missing and their identities. The FBI is currently assisting efforts such as collecting DNA samples from family members of missing persons and analyzing cell phone data.
The Family Assistance Center where DNA samples are being collected has moved to the Hyatt Regency at 200 Nohair Kai Drive in Kaanapali. The center opened in Kahului a week ago and is open daily from 10am to 8pm in the Monarchy Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency.
“The FBI, MPD, and Maui Emergency Management Agency are still seeking DNA samples from all immediate family members (parents, siblings, and children) of missing persons to assist in this effort,” the FBI said. I mentioned this in an earlier news release. week.
Families living on other islands or on the mainland should call the FBI at 808-566-4300 or email HN-COMMAND-POST@ic.fbi.gov with their contact information. The FBI will provide detailed instructions on how to provide DNA samples.
Current relief efforts include Oahu’s donation distribution site in partnership with Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke, the Hawaii Affairs Department, and the Native Hawaiian Promotion Council.
The site is a 30,000-square-foot warehouse provided by OHA in Hakuone, Kakaako-Makai that will be used to receive, sort, inventory and store all donations collected for Maui residents.
As for Maui, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda announced today that Kihei will hold a federal resource fair. The fair will include “a collection of federal agencies to take immediate action on behalf of voters who lost their personal documents in the fire,” her office said.
According to the news release, her staff will also “provide ongoing direct support to everyone to ensure that individual issues are resolved quickly and fully.” Federal agencies with representation at the show include the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Social Security Administration, U.S. Postal Service, Veterans Administration, and Small Business Administration.
The fair will be held from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Maui Economic Development Commission’s Malcolm Center, Suite 5, 1305 North Holopono Street, Kihei.
Meanwhile, Maui County announced this morning that it expanded its hazardous water advisory for Lahaina’s water system Friday to include the area from Kanau Road to Layali Parkway.
The County Water Department said the recommendation remains in effect in Lahaina and Upper Kurla.
Residents in these areas should only use bottled water for things like drinking, brushing teeth, making ice and preparing meals, the ministry said. “At this time, residents of areas affected by unsafe water advisories cannot treat their water in any way to make it safe for consumption,” the news release said.
Potable water stations have been set up in many areas of Lahaina and Kula.
Residents of affected areas can visit the ministry’s website for updated maps of hazardous water advisory areas. www.mauicounty.gov/water.