(Reuters) – Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced on Friday that 66 people are still unaccounted for a month after a devastating fire destroyed the town of Lahaina in Maui. Workers are currently engaged in the process of removing the toxic debris from the burn site, which is expected to take nearly a year to complete.
The official death toll from the fire, which occurred on August 8, remains at 115 people. So far, only 60 of the victims have been identified, according to the Maui Police Department. The uncertainty surrounding the final death toll is due to the possibility that some victims may have been completely cremated in the blaze, leaving no remains for recovery. Furthermore, the future of the land where Lahaina once stood also remains uncertain.
In early September, county and federal officials compiled a list of over 380 people who were still unaccounted for. However, as of Friday, that number has been reduced to 66 individuals, as the governor stated in online remarks.
Families of the victims confirmed dead are facing additional challenges. Tim Laborte, whose stepfather Joseph Lara was killed in the fire, is now dealing with the complexity of handling Lara’s affairs. This includes determining if there is a mortgage on the ruined property and the details of Lara’s insurance policies. Laborte explained, “His affairs are a mess. He didn’t have a will, he didn’t have a trust.”
The family has tried to reclaim Lara’s remains from a temporary morgue, but they were informed that the remains would not be released until officials were certain that all human remains had been cleared from the burn area. Obtaining a death certificate could also take months, further exacerbating the situation.
The process of certifying the fire’s victims and issuing death certificates is handled by Hawaii’s Department of Health. However, the department did not respond to inquiries regarding their procedures.
Survivors of the fire have not been allowed to return to assess the damage to their homes and businesses, though some managed to briefly visit. Governor Green announced that residents and business-owners will soon be granted supervised access to the burn zone.
Green cautioned, “The ash, we are told, is quite toxic, so we need to be careful.” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are leading the extensive clean-up effort, expected to cost around $1 billion and take nearly a year to complete.
The state of Hawaii is urging owners of short-term rental properties on the island to consider offering long-term rentals to the homeless individuals displaced by the fire. Additionally, talks are underway with several hotels regarding the potential leasing of their entire properties for those in need of temporary housing.
Currently, over 6,000 fire survivors are being accommodated in hotel rooms. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is working with the state to provide housing grants and rental assistance for the next 18 months.
Lahaina, once the seat of the Hawaiian Kingdom and a popular tourist destination, was situated along the shoreline where Maui’s western volcano slopes down into the Pacific Ocean. The plans for rebuilding the town remain unclear.
“The people of Maui must have as much time as they need to heal and recover and will begin to rebuild only when they are ready,” stated Governor Green. “I want to emphasize this again: The land in the Lahaina is reserved for its people as they return and rebuild.”
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
