President Biden and First Lady arrive in Maui
A California woman has become the first tourist known to have died in the devastating Maui wildfires that have killed 115 people.
Maui County officials named 72-year-old Theresa Cook among the eight more people identified as victims this week.
The total number of identified victims stands at 21, while the unconfirmed list of missing people has risen to 1,100 names, two weeks after a deadly blaze ripped through the historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina.
Authorities have confirmed 115 deaths following the deadliest wildfire in more than a century in the United States.
They also pleaded with relatives of those missing to come forward and give DNA samples, saying the low number provided so far threatens to hinder efforts to identify any remains discovered in the ashes.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met with first responders and survivors on Monday and promised that the federal government would be with them “for as long as it takes” to rebuild the community.
Survivors were also voicing fears of a potential wave of land grabs by realtors and investors that could push Hawaiian locals from the island.
