MAUI, HAWAII: Most of the historic town of Lahaina has turned into ashes after a series of deadly wildfires ravaged the Hawaiian island of Maui, killing at least 55 residents and injuring countless, while several others are missing.
The fast-moving fires erupted overnight on Tuesday, August 8, and burned multiple neighborhoods to the ground, forcing nearly 14,000 people to evacuate on Wednesday as reported by Maui Now. The fires also scorched parts of the Big Island of Hawaii, and 14,500 more were estimated to be moved off the island by Thursday night.
Hawaii News Now tweeted videos of the wildfire to show the severity of the situation, captioning it, “New video shows the moment a wildfire tore through homes in Lahaina.” They also added a link to know more about the situation.
As firefighters continue to battle four major fires, authorities have restricted access to western Maui to evacuees and emergency personnel.
The cause of the Maui fires had yet to be determined but the National Weather Service said they were fuelled by a combination of dry vegetation, low humidity, and deadly mountain winds, brought by Hurricane Dora.
What aid has the US announced for Maui wildfires?
On Thursday, President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration for Hawaii and expanded federal aid to support desperate residents affected by the Maui wildfires.
The declaration allows assistance for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help with recovery, according to CNN.
The aid from the disaster declaration “will get aid into the hands of people who desperately need help,” Biden said, noting that he has ordered all available federal assets on the island, including the US Coast Guard, the Navy Third Fleet, and the US Army.
Later that day, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig Gen Patrick Ryder told reporters that Two MH-60 R Sea Hawk helicopters from Navy Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37 have been dispatched to help the Coast Guard with search and rescue efforts on the island.
He further added that the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade of the Army has also sent two UH-60 Blackhawks and one CH-47 Chinook to speed up the rescue mission, according to USNI news.
A Twitter user named Morgan posted pictures of the fires, stating, "I can’t believe no one is talking about Maui, Hawaii catching on fire, but the whole world didn’t hesitate to talk about Canadas wildfire. Imagine being stuck on an island and your whole town goes up in flames. About 36 people lost their lives. Sending prayers to those affected."
Why is it hard for US to get relief and aid to Maui?
The US government has ordered federal aid for Maui but delivering emergency assistance after a disaster will not be an easy mission for the officials.
In situations like these, transportation becomes one of the most challenging issues for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which provides emergency aid after calamities, according to Conversation.
Initially, FEMA will be focused on bringing food, generators, cots, and medical aid through planes and boats as the roads might have been covered with the destruction left by the fires.
The agency will face another challenge while unloading aid delivered through boats as the local harbors and ports might have already been damaged by the disaster. Additionally, the organization lacks experienced personnel who can assist in the rescue effort.
Moreover, Bay Area State of Mind pointed out in a tweet, "People in Hawaii are fleeing into ocean to escape huge wildfire destroying historic Maui tourist town."
As per reports, delivering aid and deploying personnel in Maui becomes even more difficult because of its geographical proximity. Maui is a Hawaiian island which is located in the central Pacific Ocean.
The island also doesn’t have much room for setting up temporary homes as it has two volcanoes, West Maui Mountain and Haleakala. Because of the ecological fathers, everything about the immediate response to a disaster in Hawaii becomes more expensive than on the US mainland.
