Page 17 - Upper Kula News Today

Lahaina residents warned asbestos, lead and arsenic could have contaminated water, air and soil

President Joe Biden disaster declaration for hard-hit historic center Lahaina and other affected areas on Aug. 10 makes federal funds available for recovery, even as fires are not fully contained.

Maui locals say government communication has been slow, so people are leaning on one another for food and other necessities after deadly fires.

Days after devastating wildfires tore across the island of Maui, the death toll rose to 93 on Saturday as volunteers mobilized to care for survivors and criticism swelled over the governments response to the tragedy.

FIRE UPDATES

Death toll from Maui fire reaches 96, making it the deadliest US wildfire in more than 100 years.

FILE -- chuchart duangdaw/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Officials say the wildfires that erupted on the Hawaii island of Maui on Aug. 8 have become the deadliest natural disaster in state history. The blazes spread rapidly due to very dry conditions stemming from a drought combined with powerful winds. Much of the historic town of Lahaina has been "destroyed," officials said, and the inferno has burned thousands of residential and commercial buildings to the ground. Dozens of people have b...

When fires spread through communities, as we’ve seen more often in recent years, they burn structures that contain treated wood, plastics, paints and hazardous household wastes. All of these items release toxic gases and particles.

FILE -- chuchart duangdaw/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Officials say the wildfires that erupted on the Hawaii island of Maui on Aug. 8 have become the deadliest natural disaster in state history. The blazes spread rapidly due to very dry conditions stemming from a drought combined with powerful winds. Much of the historic town of Lahaina has been "destroyed," officials said, and the inferno has burned thousands of residential and commercial buildings to the ground. Dozens of people have b...

People returning to what remains of the beachside town of Lahaina, Hawaii, and other Maui communities after one of the nation's deadliest wildfire disasters face dangers beyond the buildings destroyed and lives lost.