Maui wildfire death toll reaches 96; Obama promotes telethon to raise funds

The Maui Police Department updated the number of confirmed deaths to 96 around 9 p.m. Sunday, Maui County said in a statement.

In a video update released earlier Sunday, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said more than 2,700 structures were destroyed in Lahaina and “an estimated value of $5.6 billion has gone away.”

Green said the response has been “comprehensive” in the past several days: “We are bringing the full force of government to try to do all we can to alleviate suffering.”

FEMA is overseeing the federal response in Hawaii with 416 personnel including FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

“We’ve had a lot of time to discuss how we will ultimately rebuild Lahaina and support Maui,” Green said.

Green said President Joe Biden has “authorized the full force of the federal government in support of us.”

A federal urban search and rescue team will be accompanied by 20 dogs that can locate the places where people have perished.

“I will tell you this, as a physician, it is a harrowing sight in Maui,” Green said. “When those providers, the police and this division, do come across scenes in houses or businesses it is very difficult for them because they know, ultimately, they will be sharing with our people that there have been more fatalities. I do expect the numbers to rise.”

Obama promotes telethon to raise funds for Red Cross

Former President Barack Obama has appeared in a video promoting a live telethon Monday to raise funds for the American Red Cross of Hawaii in support of its relief effort for wildfire victims.

Malama Maui, hosted by KHON-TV, is scheduled to be held from 5 am. to 10 a.m. on the local news station.

“As someone who grew up in Hawaii, someone who has taken my family to enjoy the incredible beauty of that island and the hospitality of the people of Lahaina, we now find ourselves mourning the lives that are lost,” Obama said.

He noted “thoughts and prayers are not enough” and asked the public to help the Red Cross and Malama Maui “provide direct support to people who are desperately in need.”

“If all of us, the Ohana, pull together and do as much as we can to give back to an island and a town and people who have given us so much, I’m absolutely confident that Lahaina and Maui and those families are going to be able to rebuild,” Obama said.

The KHON website provided a phone number and a Red Cross link to make donations.

Bishop urges survivors not to give up hope

The Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu celebrated Mass on Sunday at a church in Kapalua — just up the road from fire-ravaged Lahaina — and urged those reeling from the wildfire not to give up hope.

“How could this be a good, loving God allowing such things to happen?” the Most Rev. Clarence “Larry” Silva asked. “We need to wrestle with that. The worst thing we can do is to give God the silent treatment. If we are angry with God we should tell him so. He can take it. He will still love us.”

During the Mass, Silva read a message from Pope Francis that he was praying for those who lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods — as well as for first responders

After the service, Silva declared “God loves us in tragedies and good times” and urged those present “to share that faith with others who may lose it or don’t have it so that they can go on and they don’t give up hope.”

Several parishioners from Maria Lanakila Catholic Church in Lahaina attended the Mass, about 10 miles from the epicenter of the destruction.

Taufa Samisoni was present. His uncle, aunt, cousin and cousin’s 7-year-old son all died. Samisoni’s wife Katalina cited a Bible reading from Sunday’s Mass about how Jesus’ apostle Peter walked on water because of faith — and she woud rely on faith to cope. “If Peter can walk on water, yes we can. We will get to the shore,” she said, her voice quivering.

The Lahaina church survived the fire even though the adjoining Catholic school burned. Administrators are exploring potentially holding classes for the 200 students in hotel ballrooms and conference rooms.

Silva told The Associated Press the community is worried about the children, who have witnessed tragedy and are anxious. “The more they can be in a normal situation with their peers and learning and having fun, I think the better off they’ll be,” he said.

Travelers urged to avoid Maui

Hawaii officials urged tourists to avoid traveling to Maui as many hotels prepared to house evacuees and first responders on the island that faces a long recovery from the wildfire that demolished a historic town and killed more than 90 people.

About 46,000 residents and visitors have flown out of Kahului Airport in West Maui since the devastation in Lahaina became clear Wednesday, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

“In the weeks ahead, the collective resources and attention of the federal, state and county government, the West Maui community, and the travel industry must be focused on the recovery of residents who were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses,” the agency said in a statement late Saturday.