Maui Wildfire Update – August 21 at 3 p.m.
Aloha,
Here are the latest Maui wildfire news, updates, and resources you need to know.
Fire containment and recovery efforts in Lāhainā continue.
- As of Sunday, Aug. 20, Governor Josh Green reported over 1,800 people have moved into hotel rooms, with very few people remaining in shelters, and 7,000 individuals have applied for FEMA support.
- According to Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, 850 people are missing in connection with the deadly wildfires.
- President Biden and the first lady have arrived on Maui and are meeting with federal and local officials, emergency workers and fire survivors.
- Three remaining fires are nearly contained, and 85% of the disaster area has been searched, with 114 confirmed fatalities as of Sunday, Aug. 20.
Experts say climate change and extreme weather conditions necessitate improving emergency management practices.
- In a NY Times Guest Essay, Costas Synolakis, professor of engineering at USC, and George Karagiannis, a disaster resilience consultant in Europe, argued that with better planning and a timely warning, lives could have been spared.
- Amid persistent questions about the emergency response to the fires, Mayor Bissen said, “There are so many things, but I think the right thing to do is for us to cooperate with the investigative agencies, anyone who is going to review this.”
Water challenges mount as questions are raised about access before the deadly fires, and experts caution that complete restoration of safe water will take a long time.
- “We need to act faster in an emergency,” the West Maui Land Company wrote to the state water regulator in the wake of the Lahaina blaze.
- Governor Green said it was likely that the state would modify its oversight of West Maui’s water as part of broader efforts to ensure more water was available for fighting fires.
- On reassigning the Deputy Director for Water Resource Management, water rights expert Dr. Jonathan Likeke Scheuer said, “It was a failure of a process and priorities.”
- Meanwhile, experts are using strong language to warn Maui residents in Lahaina and Upper Kula not to filter tap water because there is no "way to make it safe.”
Hawaiian Electric’s future is unclear amid lawsuits, plummeting stock prices and calls for reform.
- Last year, HECO asked state regulators to authorize spending $190 million to strengthen power poles and other equipment. The request is still pending, and when it is approved, the work will take several years to complete.
- “We’re going to look at every decision we made, every tactic we employed to act on the wildfire threat on Maui,” said Jim Kelly, a spokesman for the utility. “Outside voices speak confidently about what happened and what we did or didn’t do, but the facts are that we took the threat seriously and were confronted by an extraordinary climatological event on Aug. 8.”
- The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports Hawaiian Electric and Hawai‘i’s power utility sector may be in store for reconstruction in the aftermath of the massive disaster as state leaders, regulators and litigators push for change and accountability.
Authorities stress the importance of tourism and its role in Maui’s recovery.
- According to the Maui Economic Development Board, about 70% of every dollar generated in Maui can be attributed to tourism. The island saw 1.4 million visitors in just the first half of 2023.
- Governor Green also has said it would be “catastrophic” if Maui’s tourism industry came to a halt right now, warning that it could lead to a “mass exodus” of residents.
- Since the wildfires, Maui is experiencing a sharp rise in initial unemployment claims, which hit 6,663 from Aug. 9-17, according to state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations spokesperson William Kunstman.
The need for mental health support is growing as people struggle to process the devastation.
- State and federal officials are trying to mobilize a fresh influx of mental health clinicians to help the 65 clinicians already on the ground.
- Hawaii News Now shared a list of mental health resources for those seeking more information and assistance.
Mahalo nui loa,
Your BG Team