In Hawaii, 111 dead

The fire that hit the port city of Lahaina, former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, is the deadliest in more than a century in the United States and no one can predict the true extent of the drama.

The death toll now stands at 111, the authorities of the American archipelago announced on Wednesday, publicly assuming that they did not use the alarm sirens during the tragedy.

The sirens “are mainly used for tsunamis” and the inhabitants “are trained to take shelter at altitude”, explained to the press Herman Andaya, head of the agency in charge of crisis management in Hawaii (EMA). ensuring they don’t regret not tripping the system.

The fire mainly affected the upper part of Lahaina and for this reason the authorities preferred to maintain the alert on television, radio and smartphones, for fear that the inhabitants would follow towards the fire.

These warnings often proved unnecessary due to multiple power and network outages the island suffered, buffeted by high winds fed by a hurricane in the middle of the Pacific.

“It is true that when I arrived in Hawaii, people said: if you hear a siren, there is a tsunami and you have to go to the highest”, declared the governor of the archipelago, Josh Green, in announcing the discovery of four of the additional bodies, bringing the provisional death toll to 111 dead.

Biden is going to Hawaii next week

In Lahaina, dozens of residents threw themselves into the sea to escape the flames. Many are revolted.

“What happened, in my opinion, borders on negligence,” Annelise Cochran, a survivor who spent eight hours in the water, told AFP.

In this context, the White House announced that Joe Biden would go to the archipelago on Monday August 21 to meet the inhabitants, the rescue teams and the authorities.

“I remain committed to ensuring that the people of Hawaii have everything they need to recover from this disaster,” the president wrote on social network X (formerly Twitter).

Jill and I will travel to Maui on Monday, August 21 to meet with first responders, survivors, and federal, state, and local officials.

I remain committed to providing everything the people of Hawaii need as they recover from this disaster.

—President Biden (@POTUS) August 16, 2023

Biden had quickly declared Hawaii in a state of natural disaster, which enabled emergency aid resources to be sent from the state. But he was criticized by the Republican opposition for his response deemed insufficient, even indifferent to these fires: the president did not speak out publicly while the balance sheet deteriorated sharply this weekend.

At the site, rescue teams and sniffer dogs search the rubble, where 12,000 residents lived before the disaster. Only 38% of the area has been inspected, officials said.

“This is a very difficult search operation,” said Deanne Criswell, head of the federal agency responsible for natural disaster response (FEMA).

Forensic pathologists equipped with a mobile morgue arrived on Tuesday. The teams deployed now include specialists who have worked on the September 11 attacks, plane crashes or major fires.

Authorities said Wednesday that 35 autopsies had been performed so far and seven people had been identified – five by fingerprints and two by DNA. Relatives of missing persons are encouraged to provide DNA to help identify the bodies. A logistical challenge for the families of tourists, absent from the island.