Hawaii: Maui wildfires death toll climbs to 111; roads, schools opening gradually

The first names of people killed in Maui wildfires have been released by officials, a weak after Hawaiian island witnessed 111 deaths. More than 1,000 people continue to be missing.

According to a report by BBC, Robert Dyckman (74) and Buddy Jantoc (79) were the first to be named.

County Maui officials, on Wednesday night local time in Hawaii, confirmed Melva Benjamin (71), Virginia Dofa (90) and Alfredo Galinato (79) were also killed in the fires.

Meanwhile, the process of reopening public schools in Maui has started and traffic on a major road has resumed showing signs of a recovery after wildfire demolished a historic town.

At least three schools untouched by flames in Lahaina, where entire neighborhoods were reduced to ash, were still being assessed after sustaining wind damage, Hawaii Department of Education superintendent Keith Hayashi said.

“There’s still a lot of work to do, but overall the campuses and classrooms are in good condition structurally, which is encouraging,” Hayashi said, adding, “We know the recovery effort is still in the early stages, and we continue to grieve the many lives lost.”

In other places, crews cleaned up ash and debris at schools and tested air and water quality. Displaced students who enroll at those campuses can access services such as meals and counseling, Hayashi said. The education department is also offering counseling for students, family members and staff.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency opened its first disaster recovery center on Maui, “an important first step” toward helping residents get information about assistance, FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said. They also can go there for updates on aid applications.

Criswell said she would accompany President Joe Biden on Monday when he visits to survey the damage and “bring hope.”

At a news conference, Herman Andaya, Maui Emergency Management Agency administrator, defended not sounding the sirens during the fire. “We were afraid that people would have gone mauka,” he said, using the Hawaiian directional term that can mean toward the mountains or inland. “If that was the case then they would have gone into the fire.”

There are no sirens in the mountains, where the fire was spreading downhill.

Hawaii created what it touts as the largest system of outdoor alert sirens in the world after a 1946 tsunami that killed more than 150. Andaya said they are primarily meant to warn about tsunamis and have never been used for wildfires. The website for the Maui siren system says they may be used to alert for fires.

Beyond the decision to not use sirens, state and local officials have faced public criticism over shortages of available water to fight the fire and a chaotic evacuation that saw many trapped in their vehicles on a jammed roadway as flames swept over them.

With inputs from AP