By: Chloe Wu

On Sunday, the death toll from the wildfires in Maui, Hawaii reached 93. Josh Green, the governor of Hawaii claims it to be the “worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced”.

Mr. Green said, “We can only wait and support those who are living. Our focus now is to reunite people when we can and get them housing and get them healthcare, and then turn to rebuilding.” (Yahoo)

The wildfire has destroyed many homes and cars, causing numerous fatalities. The government suspects that the number of fatalities will continue to rise. It is confirmed that this wildfire is the deadliest that has happened in the U.S. in over a century.

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier stated that Hawaii sent crews with corpse-smelling dogs but they have only covered three percent of the affected area.

Pelletier also states, “We’ve got an area that we have to contain that is at least five square miles and it is full of our loved ones.” He states that identifying the dead bodies is challenging since most of the remains have fallen apart. Only two people out of the 93 people have been identified. (Yahoo)

Many residents questioned if there was something the authorities could’ve done to warn them about the fire. In response, the government said that they’ll check their emergency notification systems to see if there are any malfunctions. Some residents were forced to escape to other islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Mr. Green reported that about 2,200 buildings have been destroyed in West Maui. Eighty-six percent of these buildings were residential homes. He added that it would take “an incredible amount of time to recover”.

As Hawaiian residents lose their homes and their relatives due to the fire, the government vows to check Hawaii’s emergency notification systems more often so residents can evacuate beforehand.