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About 850 people are still missing after the wildfires that burned parts of Maui and devastated the historic town of Lahaina, according to local officials, with 85 percent of the disaster area searched as of Sunday.
The official death toll in the deadliest U.S. fire in more than a century stood at 115 as of Monday evening local time, but that number was expected to rise as more victims are identified. As of Sunday, nearly two weeks after the fires, 27 of the dead had been identified, but officials had only been able to locate 11 victims and notify their relatives.
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen posted a video online that he said was the “first of many daily reports” that would provide up-to-date information on the number of missing people. Initially, more than 2,000 people were missing, and he said the lists of names that families and friends had given to local and federal authorities were recently “combined and refined” by the FBI – a “thorough and time-consuming process,” he explained.
He did not provide a breakdown of how many residents or tourists were among the 850 people on the list, but noted that the total was well below the numbers announced last week.
“We are both saddened and relieved by these numbers as we continue the recovery process,” Bissen said.
Those searching for loved ones continue to contribute their names to a county list and a list maintained by Good Samaritans and shared on the Maui Fires People Finder page on Facebook. The number now runs into the thousands, and while many names were marked as “found” on Monday, dozens were still marked “not found.” They included local officials Michael Mahnensmith, a handyman at Island Sandals who a note said may have been spotted at a local animal shelter, and Rex Cole, who was last seen with his hiker in a park at the base of the historic Lahaina Banyan Tree.
The mayor asked those whose immediate family members are still missing to provide DNA samples to aid in the identification process at the Family Assistance Center at the Hyatt Regency on Ka’anapali Beach. Those who were not on Maui were asked to contact the FBI to provide DNA samples.
“Our lives have changed forever and things will never be the same,” Bissen said. “What will remain the same is the way we care for each other as we grieve and go through this together.”
Monday was another difficult day of recovery, albeit marked by a visit from President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. They arrived on Air Force One just before noon for an aerial tour and site visit to the former coastal community of Lahaina, population 12,000.
Biden has been in contact with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D), who said more than 1,800 people displaced by the fires were staying in local hotels and that more than 7,000 people had applied for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“We are doing everything we can to bring some healing and recovery to our state,” Green said in a video posted online ahead of the president’s visit.
President Biden traveled to Lahaina, Hawaii, on August 21, where he paid tribute to the lives lost and reaffirmed his commitment to the recovery effort. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: AFP/Getty Images/The Washington Post)
The Bidens were greeted at Kahului Airport by Green, Hawaii’s two U.S. senators and other top officials. The first lady and governor hugged on the tarmac, and the president and Green walked arm in arm to the waiting motorcade.
After touring Lahaina’s charred Front Street, Biden called the devastation “overwhelming” and spoke of the “black hole” that can follow such a loss. He turned to the work ahead: “I also want you all to know that the country mourns with you, stands by you and will do everything to help you recover and rebuild, respecting culture and traditions , when reconstruction takes place.”
As they continued to try to find and identify the dead, county officials warned Monday that expected rains from post-tropical cyclone Fernanda could trigger flash floods and mudslides, especially in burned areas where vegetation is devoid. “Residents in areas recently hit by wildfires are asked to remain vigilant about rainfall and flood risks due to heavy rainfall,” they said.
However, relatives searching for loved ones are particularly focused.
Dani Ferguson helped a California woman search for her lost brother, Phillip Hudelson, who worked as a bartender at Lahaina’s Cheeseburger in Paradise. Both the restaurant and his house were destroyed by the flames.
Donna Vreyens-Randall of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, posted on the Facebook page about relatives Becky Wells and Doug Gloege. Lynn Ouano-Faias was hoping for a word about her father, Jay Ouano. “Dad, if you see this…please find a way to call me so I know you’re alive and safe,” she wrote online.
On Monday, Ouano-Faias had good news to announce: Ouano had been found.
“I video chatted with him,” she posted. “Mahalo, everyone, for the thoughts and prayers.”
Wells and Gloege had also been located.
“Our two family members [have] were identified by their fingerprints,” Vreyens-Randall wrote. “They died.”
Ferguson said Hudelson’s sister flew to Maui on Sunday, donated DNA at the county’s family assistance center and feared the worst.
“They called them last night and said they found him,” Ferguson said at a local hotel. “He had been sleeping on the beach for a week and eating whatever canned food he could find. He had a phone, some cash and a moped. The flames simply drove him away.”
Hudelson had managed to return to his home but found it burned to the ground. At that point, his phone was dead and he had no way to charge it, Ferguson said. He then slept outside a local shopping center.
When he and his sister met, he was badly sunburned and was “so surprised,” Ferguson said. “We have to get him an ID card and a can of gasoline for his moped.”
Ferguson said she also put up missing person signs for another local man, Anthony “Tony” Simpson, who was still “not on any lost and found lists” as of Monday. She shared a photo of Hudelson’s reunion with his sister online to encourage others who are still looking for loved ones.
“There is always hope,” she said. “It was just amazing to me that he came out.”
correction
An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to Anthony “Tony” Simpson as Troy Simpson. The article has been corrected.
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