Hawaii inferno unleashes fury, misery

Inadequate attention

Some of the local frustration stemmed from the long-standing perception that Maui does not receive enough attention from the state government despite its tourism revenues, he said.

Professional surfer Kai Lenny told CBS: "For some of us, we were sitting back and waiting for help to arrive, and nothing was happening. We were in shock. I started getting texts from friends, saying: 'Nobody is here. Do you know anyone you can call? Can you help us?'

"It started with boots on the ground …let's get the Jet Skis, let's get the boats, let's call the friends who fly aircraft and charter a plane," Lenny said.

"Then it was day after day … where are they? I haven't seen one state, one county, one federal official at any of the donation hubs where people are most suffering."

Lani Moala was relieved to find her home among the few left standing, thanks to a neighbor who doused houses with a water hose as people fled. However, the rest of her neighborhood was devastated.

"Everything that way was just demolished. It's just so sad," Moala said on Monday.

Her extended family lost three of their five homes to the fires.

"We're going to rebuild, and we're going to be Lahaina again," she said.

Some residents are worried that the 19th century capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii could lose its character if outside investors are permitted to buy up distressed properties.

Governor Green said on Monday that he is already exploring legal options to prevent any immediate sales of properties that were damaged or destroyed.

"I will try to allow no one from out of state to buy any land until we go through this crisis to decide what Lahaina should be," he said.

Nearly 2,000 housing units, including 400 hotel rooms, 1,400 Airbnb units and 160 private homes, were being made available for the displaced, Green said.

More than 3,200 Hawaii residents have registered to receive federal assistance so far, Jeremy Greenberg, director of response operations at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told reporters.

As of Monday, there were more than 300 federal workers on the ground, said FEMA, which has provided 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water, 5,000 cots and 10,000 blankets to the county government.

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he and first lady Jill Biden will visit Hawaii "as soon as we can" to survey the damage. He said he does not want his presence to interrupt recovery and cleanup efforts.

The governor praised Biden after the president signed the emergency declaration hours after Hawaii asked.