Hawaii wildfires death toll, speed rate unprecedented - Red Cross

WASHINGTON - The number of fatalities and rate of speed of the wildfires that swept across the Hawaiian island of Maui, killing at least 11 people and with more than 1,000 still missing is unprecedented, a senior official of the US Red Cross told a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) press conference, reported Sputnik.

"This is unprecedented - the level of fatality and the speed at which the fire moved," American Red Cross Vice President Brad Kaiserman told reporters in a FEMA Federal Response and Recovery Update on the Maui Wildfires.

According to the most recent official US reports, 111 people have been confirmed killed. On Wednesday, Hawaiian Governor Josh Green told CNN that more than 1,000 residents were still unaccounted for. Most of the devastated areas have yet to be thoroughly searched for bodies, officials said.

"We will put folks in hotels for as long as it takes till we get (replacement) housing. We are prepared for stays of seven to eight months for survivors to be maintained in hotels, Kaiserman added.

Many survivors have been staying in tents and parking lots while hotel accommodation was found for them and a financial assistance programme for those who lost their homes will begin next week, the Red Cross official said. - BERNAMA