The deadly Hawaii fires occurred on Aug. 8 predominantly on the island of Maui.
“It’s going to be a very, very difficult mission,” US Department of Health and Human Services Jonathan Greene said.
The fires were sparked by a combination of dry weather conditions and strong winds from Hurricane Dora, so flames spread fast across the islands. They caused widespread damage and destruction as 115 people have died and two weeks later around 800 people were still missing.
The Lahaina wildfire was one of four blazes, scorching a combined 10.4 square miles. Three of four fires were still burning as of Aug. 27. The historic town of Lahaina is almost completely burned down.
At the beginning, some adults and children dived into the ocean to survive. Local firefighters helped immediately but the fires were so strong that they needed support from mainland U.S. fire departments. Families were displaced and homes were destroyed. The damage caused by the fire has been estimated at nearly $6 billion.
President Joe Biden told survivors of Hawaii’s wildfires that the nation “grieves with you” and promised that the federal government will help “for as long as it takes” Maui to recover from damage caused by the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. The White House has approved $8.2 million.
Hawaii is a popular tourist destination for travelers and many visitors were stunned with the scenes of devastation they saw on the news.
“We were shocked when we saw about the fires in the news,” Isabelle Gaabs said, who visited Hawaii before the disaster. They definitely want to travel to Hawaii again and can’t believe the fires. “We even thought about moving to Hawaii, because it’s so beautiful.”
“We are sad about the fires and hope we can visit Maui soon again with better conditions,” she said.
Overall, the fires were a tragic event that brought challenges to Hawaii and especially to the little town Lahaina. But the community still showed strength and unity to the people of Hawaii. Through collected money, the affected areas will recover and the broken buildings will be rebuilt. More than 1,000 people are in Maui right now, to help. Prayers and donations are much appreciated.
