Survivors of Hawaii’s historic wildfires are losing hope as they search for missing loved ones – days after locals told the true death toll in the crisis could be hundreds higher than reports.
Officially, the death toll related to the unprecedented disaster that devastated the island of Maui stands at 114, a number Hawaiian officials reported Saturday after another day of searches.
However, reports from locals who were in the thick of it the day before suggest the true death toll is at least 480 – photos showed Hawaiians being carted into official-built morgues where body bags are said to be already running out.
The inferno swept across Lahaina last week, engulfing the normally quaint village with flames that threatened to temporarily engulf the entire island.
With the worst now over, the search for those affected is still on – although the days of waiting are growing harder as the odds grow ever greater and the death toll is already the highest in modern US history.
Survivors of Hawaii’s historic wildfires are losing hope as they search for missing loved ones – days after locals told the true death toll in the crisis could be hundreds higher than reports
Officially, the death toll from Maui’s wildfire on Thursday reached at least 111, but locals claim the real number is four times that number
As this intense search operation continued Sunday, Lahaina resident Kevin Baclig said he remains undeterred in the search for his wife and her parents, who, along with many others, went missing in the Hawaiian city on Aug. 8
He’s been going from one shelter to the next, hoping strangers might spot the faces on the flyers he brings.
The 30-year-old Baclig has kept going to Lahaina, desperate for anything that might bring him to his wife, Angelica, and their parents, Joel and Adela Villegas. Six other relatives who lived next door are also missing.
“I won’t give up until I see her,” he said. ‘Of course I hope to find her alive.’ …What else can I do?’
Even when he tries to sound upbeat, his voice is muffled.
“I’ve searched and searched — in Lahaina, everywhere,” Baclig said, speaking in Ilocano, a dialect of the northern Philippines.
The fire claimed dozens of lives and destroyed hundreds of homes, including the home Baclig’s family bought three years ago on Kopili Street, about a 15-minute walk from historic Front Street, which was once a busy tourist hub but is now a desolate one Avenue of run-down buildings is lined with charred vehicles.
The remains of the 114 individuals named above have been found, most of whom have yet to be identified.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said the death toll is likely to rise in the coming days as the diligent search for remains in the debris and ash piles in Lahaina, a coastal community of 12,000 residents and tourist hotspot on Maui, continues become.
Officials admit they don’t have an exact number of the missing person. Many of the people originally classified as missing have now been found.
Firefighters searched about 60 percent of the fire zone, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said Saturday.
“We are making strides and will continue to stand with the people of Hawaii every step of the way,” said Criswell. The agency approved nearly $7 million to support more than 2,000 homes, including $3 million in rental subsidies.
More than 1,000 federal agents are on Maui, nearly half of whom are assigned to help search for remains, the White House said.
A Maui County spokeswoman, Mahina Martin, said Saturday that authorities involved in the search were working to compile a list of missing persons and were continuing to verify the information gathered.
The only publicly available list was compiled by Good Samaritans to connect family with loved ones, but is not always up to date.
President Joe Biden is expected to visit Lahaina Monday to survey the devastation and meet with survivors and local officials.
Kevin and Angelica Baclig took a selfie while visiting Los Angeles last November. Angelica and her parents, along with five of her other relatives who lived next door, are still missing after the August 8 fire that destroyed Hawaii’s historic town of Lahaina
Po’omaika’i Estores-Losano, right, with his sister Ku’ulei Barut on their wedding anniversary in September 2019. He remains missing for nearly two weeks after the Lahaina fire
A woman digs in the rubble of a home destroyed by a wildfire August 11 in Lahaina. It’s hard to give up hope as the chances of reuniting with loved ones who are still missing are dwindling after a fire broke out in the town of Lahaina on Hawaii’s island of Maui earlier this month
A general view shows the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Thursday, August 17, 2023. It’s hard to give up hope as chances of reuniting loved ones who are still missing diminish after August 17, 2023 in the city A Lahaina fire broke out on Hawaii’s island of Maui earlier this month
Earlier this week Police Chief John Pelletier said authorities were doing their best to track down the missing. “But I can’t promise we’ll get them all,” he said.
The day before the fire, Po’omaika’i Estores-Losano, a 28-year-old father of two, wished his ohana, the Hawaiian word for family, aloha. “Another beautiful day in Hawaii,” he wrote on Facebook, ending his post by urging his friends to “have fun, enjoy” and never be “unhappy and grumpy.”
He was one of the points that were still missing on Saturday. His family have been scouring the island looking for him, checking hospitals and emergency shelters. Without a car, Estores-Losano would have had to escape the fire and smoke.
“We don’t want him to think we’ve stopped looking for him,” said Ku’ulei Barut, who last spoke to her brother the day before he disappeared.
His mother, Leona Castillo, wants to hold onto the possibility that her son is still alive, but she knows she may have to face a reality she cannot yet accept. Last week, as the discussion about the body count grew louder, she had a DNA swab done.
She wants him found no matter how or where.
“We don’t want him to be lost,” she said. “If we don’t get his body back, he’s just lost.”
Chaos and confusion reigned in the days following the fire as many families searched for missing loved ones. Castillo said she was relieved to see her friends and neighbors reunited.
But she wondered when it would be her turn.
“I just want a degree,” she said.
Ace Yabes is also awaiting news of his relatives – nine are missing in all, including Angelica Baclig, whose family lived next to an aunt and her family, five of whom have not yet been found.
FILE – A general view shows the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Thursday, August 17, 2023. Hope is hard to give up as chances of reuniting with loved ones who are still missing are slimming after a fire swept across the town is Lahaina on Hawaii’s island of Maui earlier this month
Two workers erected a fence along a residential area destroyed by a deadly wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Saturday
Volunteers deliver food and supplies to elderly residents affected by a deadly wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Saturday
Kevin Baclig was working as a male nurse at a nursing home when the fire sped from the hills into the city, setting ablaze almost everything in its path.
“I searched all the shelters, hotels and possible places they could go — I went to all of them.” “I went to her friends’ houses,” he said. “I’ve reported her missing to the MPD (Maui Police Department) and the FBI. I showed her pictures.’
Baclig, staying with friends in Kahului on the island’s northern flank, finds hope in his quest.
Perhaps in their rush to flee, no one had time to grab their phones – which could explain why Baclig hasn’t received a call so far. Perhaps they are also looking for him and do not know where he is.
Amid fear and uncertainty, and as he nears the end of his travail, he continues to pray for help.
“Lord, guide me in all things,” he wrote on Facebook Thursday. “I do not know what to do.”
A fence is being erected around a neighborhood hit by a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Saturday
A person is chronicling the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Saturday
A sign reading “Maui Lives Matter” is posted along the Honoapi’ilani Highway near a residential area destroyed by a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Saturday
A Hawaiian flag stands near a residential area destroyed by a wildfire in Lahaina on Saturday
Other losses, like that of 36-year-old Aubrey Vailoces, were more sentimental. The Maui told the Washington Post over the weekend she believed all of her belongings went up in flames after learning her home had been leveled last week.
The worst thing for her was the loss of a family photo album.
While she mourned the aftermath of the inferno along with the rest of the island, she was stunned when she received a Facebook message after someone found a beloved photo of Vailoces’ 2003 high school graduation on Lanai — a two-hour boat ride from Maui had.
The image had somehow floated to the island’s shoreline as the unprecedented wildfires burned the city of Lahaina to the ground. It was very special for Vailoces as it was her last with her late great-grandmother who raised her.
“She always has this way of telling me everything will be fine,” Vailoces told The Post. “I think that was her light in all of this.”
The devastating wildfires burned over 2,200 buildings in the city of Lahaina, and questions have been raised as to whether Hawaiian Electric — the island’s main electric utility — received prior warning of the potential fires before the fires broke out.
Aubrey Vailoces (center) was reunited with a treasured photo of her great-grandmother at her 2003 high school reunion after incredibly surviving the Maui wildfires and washing up on an island two hours away
Vailoces and her family were among tens of thousands evacuated from Maui and say they plan to rebuild their burned home once the dust settles over the disaster
On Tuesday, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said only 25 percent of the affected town had been searched, although he expected that number to rise to 85 percent by Saturday.
But photos taken by on Wednesday showed hundreds of cars and vehicles that have still not been searched – just a handful of them were marked with an orange X to show they had been searched.
That’s still too slow for Allisen Medina, 24, who has lived on Maui for five years and has spent the past two weeks making perilous trips to Lahaina to help burned-out residents.
In an exclusive interview with , she said: “People have been conducting their own recovery.”
“I know there are at least 480 dead here on Maui and I don’t understand why that is.” [the authorities] I’m not saying that. Maybe it has something to do with DNA or something.
Maui residents say the true death toll from wildfires so far is likely closer to 480 and reveal that the MPD morgue (pictured) ran out of body bags when the ongoing search and recovery operation in Lahaina began
The rising death toll means authorities have also had to deploy mobile morgues with five refrigerated trucks outside the Maui Police Department Coroner’s Office to store the remains of the fire victims. Photos from showed an aerial view of a body bag being loaded into a refrigerated truck at the MPD morgue on Thursday
Both Governor Green (pictured) and Maui Mayor Richard Bissen defended Andaya against the journalist’s quasi-accusations. Green agreed that his reaction to hearing the sirens would be to expect a tsunami. Governor Green confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll has risen to 110, even though search teams have searched only 38 percent of the affected area
Allisen Medina pointed out to this weekend that officials downplayed the actual death toll, saying it was likely many times higher than reported
“I know they ran out of body bags the first night or two and had to bring some over from the mainland.”
Allisen says the slow recovery process has meant family members have had to find the charred bodies of loved ones themselves, including a friend of hers who lost four family members.
She told : “I have a personal friend who lost her parents, her sister and her 10-year-old nephew.” She walked inside [to Lahaina] and saw her there.’
She added, “It’s 100 percent not being done enough, so people are doing it themselves.” “The government, the charities — they’re not doing anything.”
She added, “We have a right to know what’s going on.” FEMA came here to help with the recovery [process] but we don’t see them.
“We’re only 100 miles from Oahu, which has several military bases.” Why is the response so poor? Why are they doing so little? Why is nothing else done?’
Allisen also criticized Herman Andaya, the chief of emergency services who made the decision not to sound Maui’s emergency sirens, telling a press conference that they were associated with tsunamis and not fires.
She said, “Why didn’t they turn on the sirens?” They’re not just there for tsunamis – go to their website and it says they’re there for fires, other disasters and everything else.
“What he said is so disgusting and disrespectful – does he really think people would walk towards the fire without looking out and seeing it?”
Authorities had set up a mobile morgue to keep bodies cool while they try to identify the remains
Salvage teams can be seen across Lahaina sifting through burned debris in search of the thousand people who are still being held accountable
Cars and buildings marked with an “X” can be seen across the city, indicating they have been searched, but hundreds more remain to be inspected
The bodies recovered were burned beyond recognition and authorities are now asking friends and family of the missing persons to submit their DNA so the remains of their loved ones can be identified
Workers, including members of the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, stand in front of refrigerated trucks at the MPD Morgue Office in Maui
Speaking to , she added that she hopes the support and recovery efforts will now be accelerated to give local people a chance to mourn, but said she would like to see the outpouring of sympathy from around the world world means continued support for the recovery process.
She said, “We’re getting a lot of support now, but it’s going to be a long road.” People come here from all over the world.
“If they want to come here, I hope they continue to support us in the long run.”
She added, “I’m in no way a victim but I have a platform and it’s my responsibility to share what I’ve seen.”
“It’s not about me, but I want to do whatever I can to help.”
Officials are still searching for other missing persons.