By Antonio Planas –
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said he couldn’t say for certain if Maui’s emergency siren system was activated properly ahead of the deadly wildfires.
UPDATED STATISTICS:
Deaths – 115 people
Non-fatal injuries – At least 20 people
Missing Persons – 850
Displaced – At least 11,000 people
Buildings destroyed – At least 1,000
Affected area – Approximately 2,200 ac
Property damage – $5.5B
“It’s too early for me to tell. Much of the equipment was destroyed with fire and it’s a very remote place,” Green told NBC News’ Lester Holt on Friday. “This was a western edge of the island of Maui. Of course, we would never diminish any kind of responsibility.”
Wildfires, Green said, took residents by surprise because 80 mph-winds, the remnants of Hurricane Dora, knocked out telecommunications and essentially rendered the island dark. Fire personnel were also fighting three other fires, Green said.
“I’m very reluctant to blame anyone,” he said. “We were fighting multiple fires that were being moved. Because of these winds, we’re of course, like everyone else, dealing with the extreme changes, global warming, the drying of our land. And then when this storm passed to the south of Hawaii, that was the hurricane — it sent those winds.”
l warming, the drying of our land. And then when this storm passed to the south of Hawaii, that was the hurricane — it sent those winds.”