WASHINGTON.- The Government of the United States has delivered more than 5.6 million dollars, around 5.1 million euros, in assistance to the victims of the fires on the island of Maui, in the state of Hawaii, reported this Friday the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The funds have gone to about 2,000 homes that have survived the largest natural disaster in the island’s history since it became a U.S. territory, Marcus Coleman, a senior FEMA official, said on a call with reporters.
Among the types of help survivors have received are temporary housing or shelter, home repair funds, and other types of financial assistance.
In addition, the US government has ordered an increase in the level of federal funds for emergency work in Hawaii “up to 100% of what is allowed for the 30-day period decided by the State,” the White House announced in a statement.
FEMA has already deployed more than 1,000 emergency workers, including 350 “search and rescue” individuals, along with canine teams “to support residents in their time of greatest need,” Coleman said.
In turn, some 3,000 members of the Red Cross have arrived in Maui, where at least 111 people have died from the fires, according to official figures.
It is also expected that this figure will increase as the rescue teams comb the rest of the affected area.
In this sense, Brigadier General Stephen Logan, who leads the joint response group of the Army that has come to assist in the efforts in Maui, explained during a press conference that they have mobilized mental health experts to support the soldiers performing body recovery tasks.
They took these precautions with an eye to the future, Logan explained, as PTSD “doesn’t come on quickly” in many cases.
