MAUI COUNTY, Hawaii (AP) - 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 on 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.
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“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.”
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