The wildfires are the worst natural disaster to hit Hawaii since the 1960 tsunami.
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has sent his condolences to the President of the United States Joe Biden on Saturday following deadly wildfires in Hawaii.
“The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani sent a cable of condolences to HE President of the United States of America Joe Biden on the victims of the fires in the State of Hawaii, wishing the injured a speedy recovery,” Doha’s state news agency (QNA) reported.
Several wildfires initially broke out in various areas in Hawaii on Tuesday, though Lahaina’s fire has been declared as the most destructive. According to CNN, the fire in Lahaina was 85% contained as of Friday.
The wildfires have claimed the lives of at least 89 people as of Saturday, making them the deadliest to hit the US in more than a century.
On Thursday, President Biden approved a federal disaster declaration and issued aid to support local recovery efforts as the blazes continued to sweep through the tourist hotspot.
While the cause of the fires remains unknown, Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez has launched a “comprehensive review of critical decision-making and standing policies leading up to, during, and after the wildfires.”
Hawaii governor Josh Green warned during a press conference on Saturday that the death toll is likely to increase as authorities continue on-the-ground searches.
Cadaver dogs that have been trained to carry out search and rescue efforts have so far covered at least 3% of the search area.
“It will certainly be the worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced…We can only wait and support those who are living. Our focus now is to reunite people when we can and get them housing and get them health care, and then turn to rebuilding,” Green said, as quoted by CBS News.
The estimated cost to rebuild the tourist town of Lahaina is estimated to be $5.5 billion, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Meanwhile, authorities have launched an assessment into the fires, including apparent failures in emergency management, as officials relocate residents to hotel rooms.
At least 1,000 hotel rooms have been allocated to those who lost their homes and 1,400 others have been taken to shelter in emergency structures, Green told the press.
“Over time, we’ll be able to figure out if we could have better protected people,” Green said.
According to Reuters, the wildfires are the worst natural disaster to hit Hawaii since the fatal tsunami that swept through the state in 1960, resulting in 61 deaths.
The total death toll from the latest blaze has surpassed the number of deaths recorded during the 2018 California blaze, in which 85 people were killed. The disaster in California came a century after the 1918 Cloquet Fire in northern Minnesota, which killed hundreds.
