Maui Wildfire Update – August 23 at 2 p.m.
Aloha,
Here are the latest Maui wildfire news, updates, and resources you need to know.
The scope of the devastation is still unclear as recovery and identification work continues.
- As of Tuesday, 115 people have been confirmed dead, and over 1,000 remain unaccounted for. Officials put out another plea for family members of the missing to provide samples of DNA to help with the search. So far, there have been just 104 reference DNA samples collected.
Connectivity is being restored, and the community is pivoting toward long-term aid.
- About 1,800 West Maui customers and approximately 50 Upcountry customers remain without power. Hawaiian Electric hopes to restore power to most West Maui customers by this weekend.
- County officials are consolidating county-run distribution supply sites as electricity and internet connectivity continue to be restored in fire-affected areas, and community-organized efforts are pivoting to long-term aid.
The state’s housing program makes progress, and conversations shift toward long-term challenges and opportunities to rebuild.
- Nearly 2,400 individuals are sheltered at 10 hotel locations around Maui in coordination with the American Red Cross.
- The Hawaii Fire Relief Housing program has drawn participation from landlords and property managers, offering more than 900 properties, mostly on Maui but also on other islands and even a few on the mainland.
- Family Life Center, a Maui nonprofit, has transported 60 fold-up structures to use as temporary homes for victims of the Maui fires. According to Civil Beat, Pacific Resource Partnership, which represents 6,000 Hawaii carpenters and 240 general contractors, has bought into the idea.
- Climate change and extreme weather are hurting housing affordability nationwide.
- An NPR story featured one home that sheltered 87 people following the fires, highlighting multi-generational and extended family living is common in Hawai‘i.
Maui residents seek answers and urge lawmakers to listen to the community.
- Some residents told The New York Times they were alarmed when fire crews left the site of an early-morning fire deemed contained a little more than a mile away from the town’s historic waterfront. The state attorney general said the investigation to examine the cause and response to the fires will most likely also look at the decision to leave the scene of the earlier brush fire.
- The Maui County Council heard emotional testimony from island residents who urged them to listen, be accessible and give the community time to grieve and organize before developing plans for recovery and resilience.
- Associated Press shared an interactive timeline of how the Lahaina fire unfolded and harrowing stories from survivors who narrowly escaped.
Mahalo nui loa,
Your BG Team