MADRID, 12 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
County officials have confirmed that the death toll due to wildfires in the US archipelago of Hawaii has risen to 67, officially making it the highest death toll from a natural disaster since statehood. island.
So far, the deadliest disaster the island had experienced was the tsunami that occurred in 1960, which left 61 people dead, as reported by the US news channel ABC News.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has declared a public health emergency on the island and they have explained that the declaration “provides health care providers at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) greater flexibility to meet the emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid recipients.”
“We will do everything possible to help Hawaii officials respond to the health impacts of the wildfires,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement, adding that they are “working on close collaboration with state and local health authorities” as well as their “partners around the world.
According to local authorities, more than 14,000 people were evacuated from the island of Maui during the day on Wednesday, while about 14,500 are being transferred to other nearby islands, CNN has collected.
Richard Bissen, the mayor of Lahaina, the former capital of the archipelago and one of the most touristic areas of Hawaii, estimated on the eve that 80 percent of the city has been completely destroyed due to the flames, fanned by Hurricane Dora.
However, experts have warned that the impacts of these fires go further and can affect the physical health of residents and could have impacts on their mental health.
In the end, smoke from wildfires is a mixture of gases, pollutants, and particles that people can inhale, enter the lungs, and even enter the bloodstream. Additionally, research has shown that wildfires and the subsequent smoke can increase rates of anxiety and depression and worsen it among people who already have these conditions.
