Maui county authorities have raised to 80 this Saturday the death toll from the forest fires in Hawaii, which have left nearly 1,000 missing and are already becoming the greatest tragedy due to a natural disaster recorded since the archipelago's status as a state. .
"Firefighters continue to work to extinguish the outbreaks and contain the flames in Lahaina, Pulehu/Kihei and Upcountry Maui," authorities said in a statement, according to the US network CNN.
Until now, the deadliest disaster the island had experienced was the tsunami that occurred in 1960, which left 61 people dead. The fires have so far left thousands of evacuees. In fact, this same Saturday the authorities have ordered the evacuation of Kaanapali, in north Lahaina -- the most affected area -- which has a population of 1,100 people.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has declared a state of health emergency on the island, which will make it possible to provide medical care with "greater flexibility" to those affected.
"We will do everything possible to help Hawaii officials respond to the health impacts of the wildfires," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement, adding that they are "working on close collaboration with other federal agencies as well as their "partners around the world."
According to local authorities, more than 14,000 people were evacuated from the island of Maui during the day on Wednesday, while about 14,500 were transferred to other nearby islands throughout Friday, CNN has collected.
The US Coast Guard has announced the rescue of 17 people who were both on the Lahaina boardwalk and in the ocean after fleeing the virulence of the flames. The operation, which has included two vessels, was active for at least 15 hours.
Richard Bissen, the mayor of Lahaina, the former capital of the archipelago and one of the most touristic areas in Hawaii, said the day before that 80 percent of the city had been completely destroyed by the flames, fanned by Hurricane Dora.
For now, the authorities have confirmed that the flames in the Lahaina area are up to 85 percent controlled in fires that, according to experts, can affect not only the physical health of residents, but also also to your mental well-being.
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden declared a disaster in Hawaii and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in areas affected by wildfires that began last Tuesday.
Biden also ordered US National Guard and US Third Fleet personnel in Hawaii to do everything they can to help local authorities.
The images show completely destroyed areas and the Civil Air Patrol detailed that almost 300 structures had been hit by the fire.
The strong drought that has affected the islands in recent months, as well as the strong winds from Hurricane Dora, have caused the flames to spread at a much higher speed, according to local authorities, also making extinguishing work difficult.
