Hawaii’s governor on Friday released an update on the wildfires that have ravaged the island of Maui, noting that the process of searching for survivors after the disaster has been “agonizing” for families and the state.
“Lahaina will rise again,” governor Josh Green said in a statement on the crisis. “It will be a symbol of our resilience, our values, and our sacred bonds of Ohana. When it is rebuilt, it will be a living memorial to the loved ones we have lost.”
The death toll in the catastrophe that has wiped out large parts of the town of Lahaina reached 114 as of Friday, Maui County officials said. The fires haven’t been spreading for several days, the Maui Fire Department reported.
“Fire activity has been limited to isolated hot spots within the existing footprint,” the county said in a statement.
FEMA recently opened a disaster recovery center on Maui for residents affected by the fires to apply for assistance.
“The numbers of lives we’ve lost has climbed to over 100 and we expect it to increase each day as we continue our search,” Green said. “This process is agonizing for families waiting for word from their loved ones and heartbreaking for those sifting through the debris.”
President Biden came under fire for his curt comment about Maui’s emergency while he was spending last weekend in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
When asked during a bike ride whether he would go to Maui to assess the devastation, he replied: “We’re looking at it.” After a visit to the beach later that day, Biden was asked about the high fatality count and said, “No comment.”
Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit the island next week to survey the destruction and speak with first responders.
Lahaina, which was named the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1802 and was the seat of the government for over 50 years, is one of the state’s most historic cities.
“We have lost the native Hawaiian culture that founded it centuries ago,” Green said. “And the values that will enable us to endure this tragedy and flourish again, like the great banyan tree that survived the fire and still stands among the ruins today.”
The governor noted that the reconstruction effort will take massive time and investment.
“We will rebuild Lahaina, it will take years of work and billions of dollars,” Green said. “Lahaina belongs to its people, and we are committed to rebuilding and restoring it the way they want it. Tragically, it took less than a single day for us to lose Lahaina in the deadliest fire our country has seen in more than a century.”