Maui wildfires updates: President Biden, first lady tour damage

The fires burned thousands of homes and commercial buildings to the ground.

The deadly wildfires that erupted on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Aug. 8 have become the deadliest natural disaster in state history, officials said.

The blazes spread rapidly due to very dry conditions stemming from a drought combined with powerful winds. Much of the historic town of Lahaina has been "destroyed," officials said, and the inferno has burned thousands of residential and commercial buildings to the ground.

Maui Wildfires
ABC News, AP, Nasa

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Aug 17, 2023, 5:36 am

Maui Strong: Charities to directly support wildfire relief efforts

On Thursday, "Good Morning America" and ABC News organized efforts to help viewers get involved in relief efforts for survivors of the Maui fires.

"Good Morning America" is helping raise awareness for Maui fire relief efforts.
ABC News

How to help:

-- Maui Strong Fund

-- Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement

-- University of Hawai'i Foundation

-- Kokua Restaurant & Hospitality Fund for Maui

-- American Red Cross/ABC

-ABC News’ Kelly McCarthy

Aug 16, 2023, 11:55 am

What we know about the victims

Over 100 people have died from the devastating wildfires on Maui. Officials have warned that the death toll is expected to rise as they work to contain the active blazes and assess the damage.

Click here to read what we know about some of the victims.

PHOTO: In an undated photo, Buddy Jantoc, center, is seen with his granddaughter Keshia Alakai and her husband.
In an undated photo, Buddy Jantoc, center, is seen with his granddaughter Keshia Alakai and her husband. Courtesy of The Family of Buddy Jantoc
Courtesy of The Family of Buddy Jantoc

Aug 21, 2023, 4:53 AM EDT

850 missing after Lahaina fire, mayor says

There are 850 names on the list of people still missing following the Lahaina wildfire, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said.

"There is positive news in this number, because when this process began the missing person list contained over 2,000 names," Bissen said in a recorded video posted on social media on Sunday evening.

Missing people flyers for Lahaina, Hawaii, residents are posted on a bulletin board at King's Cathedral Maui in Kahului, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023.
Jae C. Hong/AP

He said 114 people had been confirmed dead, of which 27 had been identified. Eleven families have been notified.

The latest figure for the missing is the result of a painstaking process undertaken by the FBI, he said. The bureau "combined and refined" the separate lists that had been collected by the American Red Cross, the FBI's Honolulu bureau, the Maui Police Department and the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

FEMA's search and rescue team member works in a residential area consumed by a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.
Jae C. Hong/AP

Since the lists were started, more than 1,285 people have been located, Bissen said.

"Our lives have changed forever and things will not be the same," Bissen said. "What will be the same is the way we care for each other as we grieve and go through this together."

-ABC News' Aliyah Thomas

Aug 20, 2023, 8:26 PM EDT

85% of impacted areas in Maui searched

Searches have been performed on 85% of the impacted areas in Maui, Gov. Green said Sunday.

During his briefing, shared on X (formally known as Twitter), Green said 1,800 people are in hotel rooms, with very few people left in shelters.

Sunday also brought news that Maui is bracing for the storm impacts of tropical cyclone Fernanda. “Remnant moisture” from Fernanda is expected to approach late Sunday, officials said in a release. According to the National Weather Service, the highest amounts of rainfall is expected Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning.

To prepare for the incoming weather system, emergency response crews have begun deploying “inlet protection devices” at the storm drain catch basins within Lahaina, authorities said Sunday. The U.S. Coast Guard has also installed absorbent booms at eight storm drain outfalls.

Officials warn the areas most impacted by the wildfires are at a heightened risk of flooding during heavy rain. Residents are being asked to be vigilant about flood risks and rainfall.

Aug 19, 2023, 5:17 PM EDT

Details of Biden trip still being worked out

Ahead of President Joe Biden and the first lady's visit to Maui on Monday, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters that details of the trip are still being "developed."

She couldn't say how Biden will exactly survey the damage.

"There are a bunch of different options that are available -- whether it's aerial or if there's a part that's safe to go into on the ground -- but all of that is still being developed," she said, adding that they are working closely with county officials.

Criswell said the Bidens will "personally stand with the community" to reassure them that the federal government will be there "every step of the way."

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

Aug 19, 2023, 11:23 AM EDT

Death toll rises to 114, as 78% of the area has been searched

Three more people have been confirmed dead in the Maui wildfires, increasing the total number of confirmed fatalities to 114.

As of Friday night, the Maui Police Department reports that 78% of the area has been searched, according to officials.

The Olinda and Kula are now 85% contained, the Lahaina fire is 90% contained and the Pulehu / Kihei fire is 100% contained, according to Maui officials.

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