Three days after devastating, wind-whipped wildfires began laying waste to Lahaina, Pulehu, Upcountry, Kula and other areas of Maui, a team of federal, state and local officials are beginning to shift from one set of Herculean efforts to another.

What You Need To Know

  • As of Thursday afternoon, the major active fires in West Maui were being brought under containment — Lahaina at 80%, Pulehu at 70% and Upcountry at an unspecified but advancing rate

  • Fire suppression and evacuation efforts are giving way to recovery of the dead, family reunification, damage assessment, securing longer-term shelter for thousands of displaced residents and pooling every resource available

  • Green said he and his team submitted their proposal for a presidential disaster declaration to President Joe Biden shortly after midnight on Thursday and received notice that Biden had issued the declaration just six hours later

  • Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said the county is focusing on identifying and recovering those who died in the fires and reuniting families separated during the evacuations

As of Thursday afternoon, the major active fires in West Maui were being brought under containment — Lahaina at 80%, Pulehu at 70% and Upcountry at an unspecified but advancing rate. The opening of more roads and sections of highway and a massive effort to transport thousands of visitors to Kahului Airport have helped uncomplicate ongoing efforts in an around Lahaina to address ongoing hazards and continue search and rescue efforts.

Yet, as Green and other officials emphasized during a media briefing on Thursday, there is no time to refresh and regroup as fire suppression and evacuation efforts give way to recovery of the dead, family reunification, damage assessment, securing longer-term shelter for thousands of displaced residents and pooling every resource available.

“We’re going to need to house thousands of people,” Green said. “It’s our intention to initially seek 2,000 rooms to house people and that will mean reaching out to all of our hotels and those in the community. We will ask people to rent those extra rooms.”

Green said he and his team submitted their proposal for a presidential disaster declaration to President Joe Biden shortly after midnight on Thursday and received notice that Biden had issued the declaration just six hours later.

“The federal government will be supporting our forward progress, which means that there will be grants for individuals from FEMA,” Green said. “There will be support for rental aid. There will be support for small businesses. And this is just a small piece of what’s going to be necessary, but the financial aspects of the recovery will help blunt the loss of life.

Green said he will work with House and Senate leaders to see if a special legislative session is necessary to appropriate funds for the island’s recovery.

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said the recovery phase of the county’s emergency response will continue to address the immediate concerns of those “who have suffered tremendous loss and inconsolable grief.”

As of Thursday, the death toll from the West Maui fires stood at 55. Officials say they expect it to rise as search, rescue and recovery efforts continue.

“We’re going to do our very best to identify those who perished so that their families can have closure,” he said. “We’re also going to try and connect our families with those who are in our shelters. This was an emergency and people left without taking anything with them. So now we’re at that phase where we want to make sure that those in our community, whether they’re at a hotel or shelter or staying with family or a friend that we can try and match them back with their families.”

Bissen said he also feels for those eager to return to their homes but unable because of strict restrictions to entry back into Lahaina.

He said that will be possible “just as soon as we can provide certainty that we have recovered those that have perished; that’s our goal right now.”

Bissen said the county is also working to restore water and power to West Maui in preparation for those intending to return.

Maj. Gen. Ken Hara, adjutant general for the state Department of Defense, toured West Maui along with other officials and was struck by the level of devastation.

Based on his observations, Hara said he was activating the Joint Task Force 5-0 and appointing Brig. Gen. Stephen Logan as a dual-status commander with the authority to command active duty and National Guard forces.

Federal Emergency Management Agency regional administrator Robert Fenton said a wealth of federal resources are being deployed in Maui, including crews to deal with debris removal and hazardous waste; search and rescue teams with cadaver dogs to find human remains. In the longer term, FEMA will also work with individuals and businesses to obtain grants and loans to help with property losses and government agencies to repair or replace infrastructure.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.