100% of Lahaina searched; Army Corps of Engineers to conduct debris removal
Maui County today announced that 100% of the Lahaina wildfire disaster area has been searched.
The official death toll still stands at 115, but nearly 400 names remain on an FBI list of those who are still unaccounted for.
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The list can be found here: mauinuistrong.info/unaccountedfor.
Search and recovery teams consisting of hundreds of people and 40 cadaver sniffing dogs have surveyed all of the nearly 2,200 acres burned in the Aug. 8 fire.
Earlier today, Gov. Josh Green announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been selected to lead efforts to remove fire-damaged debris from areas across Maui affected by the historic fires.
“The Army Corps of Engineers is eminently qualified to undertake this big task, to help the residents of Maui move forward in their recovery journey,” Green said in a statement. “The Phase 2 work will help with long-term stabilization of the affected areas, so that residents and businesses can rebuild in the way these communities want them rebuilt.
“We thank President Biden and all our federal partners for the pledge to stand alongside us, as the president said, ‘as long as it takes.’”
Green said that in talks with FEMA, “we reached an understanding that extra consideration will be given to embedding Hawaii’s cultural experts into the mission. There will also be a focus on utilizing local businesses and paying prevailing wages for the debris removal effort.”
Lt. Col. Ryan Pevey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Honolulu District Commander, said the Corps “recognizes the importance” of ensuring that the process of debris management is conducted safely and with respect to the families and the indigenous and multicultural history of these communities.
