More than 800 people still listed as missing from Maui wildfires
Official death toll is currently 114, but is expected to increase as more are identified
Some 850 people are still missing after the wildfires that torched parts of Maui and devastated the historic town of Lahaina, according to local officials, who announced Sunday that 85 percent of the disaster area had been searched.
The official death toll is currently 114, but that number is expected to increase as more of the dead are identified. As of Sunday, 27 of the dead had been identified, but officials had only been able to locate and notify relatives of 11 victims.
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen posted a video online on what he said was the "first of many daily reports" that will update the number of missing people. Initially, more than 2,000 people were unaccounted for, and he said the lists of names that families and friends had given local and federal agencies were recently "combined and refined" by the FBI - a "thorough and time-consuming process," he explained.
He provided no breakdown of how many residents vs. tourists were among the 850 individuals on the list as of Sunday, yet noted that the total is appreciably less than the figures first announced.
"We are both saddened and relieved about these numbers as we continue the recovery process," Bissen said.
The mayor urged those with immediate family members still missing to provide DNA samples to assist in the identification process at the family assistance center set up at the Hyatt Regency in Ka'anapali. Those not on Maui have been asked to contact the FBI to provide DNA samples.
"Our lives have changed forever, and things will not be the same," Bissen said. "What will be the same is the way we care for each other as we grieve and go through this together."
President Biden is scheduled to visit Maui on Monday to view the damage and meet with survivors.
"I know how profoundly loss can impact a family and a community and I know nothing can replace the loss of life," he said in a statement Sunday. "I will do everything in my power to help Maui recover and rebuild from this tragedy."
Biden has been in contact with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D), who has warned that the death toll is likely to rise in coming days as the search for remains continues in Lahaina, a seaside community of 12,000. Ahead of meeting with Biden on Monday, Green said that over 1,800 people displaced by the fires were staying at local hotels and that more than 7,000 people had applied for support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"We're doing all we can to bring some healing and recovery to our state," Green said in a video posted online.
County officials warned Monday that expected rains from post-tropical cyclone Fernanda could trigger flash floods and mudslides, especially in burned areas where there's no longer vegetation. "Residents in areas that have been recently impacted by wildfires are asked to be vigilant about rainfall and flood risks resulting from heavy rains," they said.
Those searching for loved ones continue to add their names to a county list and a list maintained by good Samaritans shared on the Maui Fires People Finder page.
Over the weekend, Donna Vreyens-Randall of Myrtle Creek, Ore., posted looking for relatives Becky Wells and Doug Gloege.
Julie Pheasant-Albright of Seattle posted looking for the cousin of a friend, Jane Ota
Sydnie Lynn Ouano-Faias was searching for her dad, Jay Ouano.
"I still have hope that he's out there," she said on her profile. "Dad, if you see this . . . please find a way to call me so I know you're alive and safe."
By Monday, Ouano-Faias had good news to share: Her dad had been found.
"I video chatted with him," she posted. "Mahalo, everyone, for the thoughts and prayers."
There was good news about Jane Ota, too: A cousin posted to say she was safe.
Wells and Gloege also had been located.
"Our two family members has been identified by their fingerprints," Vreyens-Randall posted. "They have passed on."