“I’m afraid he is gone because we have not heard from him, and he would’ve found a way to contact family. Lylas Kanemoto is awaiting word about the fate of her cousin, Glen Yoshino. I do expect the numbers to rise.”Ĭrews with cadaver dogs have covered just 3% of the search area, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said Saturday. “When those providers, the police and this division, do come across scenes in houses or businesses it is very difficult for them because they know, ultimately, they will be sharing with our people that there have been more fatalities. “I will tell you this, as a physician, it is a harrowing sight in Maui,” Green said. More than 2,700 structures were destroyed in Lahaina and “an estimated value of $5.6 billion has gone away.” But mostly there are people suffering and the government is continuing to work to find them, he said in a video statement Sunday,Īs the death toll around Lahaina climbed to 93, authorities warned that the effort to find and identify the dead was still in its early stages. “There’s very little left there,” Green said, holding up a map of the area titled “Buildings Damaged in Maui Wildfires Lahaina Area.” Green hopes that the company will be able to provide three- to nine-month rentals for those who have lost homes. The state wants to work with Airbnb to make sure that rental homes can be made available for locals. Some hotels will carry on with normal business to help preserve jobs and sustain the local economy, Green said. An additional 500 rooms will be set aside for workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Josh Green said 500 hotels rooms will be made available for locals who have been displaced. Tourists are encouraged to visit Hawaii's other islands. "In the weeks ahead, the collective resources and attention of the federal, state and county government, the West Maui community, and the travel industry must be focused on the recovery of residents who were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses," the agency said in a statement late Saturday. Meanwhile, Hawaii officials urged tourists to avoid traveling to Maui as many hotels prepared to house evacuees and first responders.Ībout 46,000 residents and visitors have flown out of Kahului Airport in West Maui since the devastation in Lahaina became clear Wednesday, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority. “The more they can be in a normal situation with their peers and learning and having fun, I think the better off they’ll be,” Silva said. Silva later told The Associated Press that the community is worried about its children, who have witnessed tragedy and are anxious. He also conveyed prayers for first responders. We will get to the shore,” she said, her voice quivering.ĭuring the Mass, Silva read a message from Pope Francis, who said he was praying for those who lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods. Samisoni's wife, Katalina, said the family would draw comfort from Silva's reference to the Bible story of how Jesus' disciple Peter walked on water and was saved from drowning. Taufa Samisoni said his uncle, aunt, cousin and the cousin’s 7-year-old son were found dead inside a burned car. Maria Lanakila Church in Lahaina was spared from the flames that wiped out most of the surrounding community, but with search-and-recovery efforts ongoing, its members attended Mass about 10 miles up the road, with the Bishop of Honolulu, the Rev. LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) - Parishioners mourned the dead and prayed for the missing Sunday in Hawaii churches as communities began looking ahead to a long recovery from last week's wildfire that demolished a historic Maui town and killed more than 90 people.
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