Maui wildfires updates: President Biden, first lady get firsthand look at 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.
Latest headlines:
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.
How to help:
-- Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
-- University of Hawai'i Foundation
-- Kokua Restaurant & Hospitality Fund for Maui
-ABC News’ Kelly McCarthy
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.
Bidens to receive ground tour in hard-hit Lahaina
President Joe Biden and the first lady will travel to Maui on Monday to meet with survivors and community members, and to survey the area devastated by the deadly wildfires.
The Bidens will receive an aerial tour of impacted areas before landing in hard-hit Lahaina and touring part of the historic town to see the damage firsthand, according to a White House official.
The president will also deliver remarks and announce Bob Fenton, the Region 9 administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as the chief federal response coordinator to oversee Maui's long-term coordinated federal recovery effort.
The Bidens will then attend a community engagement to meet with survivors, first responders, community members and other officials and volunteers who are supporting the recovery efforts.
-ABC News' Justin Gomez
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.
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.
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
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.
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
Hawaii Governor shares support from Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green again shared his commitment to keeping the land in Maui in the hands of Maui residents at his latest press briefing Tuesday night – adding that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shared his support on the issue.
The Rock “was sharing with me his desire to see the land stay in the hands of the people. We agree completely on that,” Green said. “I was really impressed by his passion for our loved ones here in the state of Hawaii.”
Green went on to say that if someone “behaves in a predatory fashion to someone suffering right now” and tries to “buy land out from under them,” as Governor he will not allow building or rezoning.
Additionally, Green announced he has ordered the opening of the Lahaina bypass to give residents, first responders and employees access to West Maui, beginning Tuesday at 6 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time and through Wednesday morning. And between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Wednesday, it will open up for everyone else.
