With at least 114 people dead as of this writing and about 850 people still unaccounted for, the devastating Maui fire is now the worst natural disaster in Hawaii’s history and the deadliest wildfire tragedy in the United States in more than one hundred years.
A TIME on-line article touchingly describes how historic “Lahaina [vanished] in less than a day. And without warning. [And how] the destruction on Maui was unalloyed.” Even more poignantly, nearly a score of heart-wrenching images and videos illustrate “What Remains After the Flames: Scenes From the Ash-Colored Streets of Maui.”
As President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden get ready to visit fire-ravaged Maui, in particular what was once the historic and beautiful town of Lahaina — now “ground zero” — Americans, their organizations and their government* have already been lending a generous helping hand to the people of Maui.
As always, the U.S, military has been there and is there to assist in the firefighting; initial search and rescue; recovery, including identifying human remains; security; sea, land and air transportation; engineering and damage assessment and in future rebuilding efforts.
Nearly 700 active-duty members from all Branches, Reserve, National Guard and DoD civilians alongside about 140 U.S. Coast Guardsmen, under the umbrella of a “Combined Joint Task Force,” are helping with the disaster response. Major assets in use or on standby include CH-47 Chinook helicopters with aerial fire suppression buckets, MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, V-22 Ospreys, KC-130J Super Hercules aircraft, and an MQ-9 drone for “aerial survey.”
The following images, all DoD, show some of the work being done by our military and provide a glimpse into the disaster.
* Read the White House’s Statement on how the U.S. government is helping the people of Maui here.
