The death toll in the Hawaii wildfires has now risen to 96, and officials warn the number of deaths will “continue to rise” as crews with search dogs make their way into burned-out structures..The disaster is now the deadliest wildfire in the US in more than a century..Governor Josh Green returned to Honolulu from Maui on Sunday and issued the fifth Emergency Proclamation (EP) relating to the ongoing devastation created by the wildfires on Maui and in Hawaiʻi Counties..Green said on Sunday it's "hard to know” how many more fatalities there are..He also said the fifth proclamation suspends additional laws to facilitate emergency response, recovery and rebuilding.."It confirms that health care facilities and professionals engaging in emergency response are immune from civil liability during the proclamation period, except for willful misconduct, gross negligence or recklessness," Green said in a Sunday statement.."It also allows pharmacists to refill prescriptions for people directly affected by the wildfire emergency with up to a 30-day supply, even when the pharmacist is unable to obtain refill authorization from the prescriber.".READ MORE: UPDATED: Biden declares Hawaii fires a ‘major’ disaster.Green said it also lifts the $10 million cap on expenditures from the Major Disaster Fund to respond to this emergency and discourages nonessential travel to West Maui to free up accommodations for displaced residents and emergency workers..The fifth proclamation supersedes the Aug. 10, fourth proclamation relating to wildfires.."The disaster emergency relief period shall commence immediately and continue through August 31," Green said..Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) over the weekend announced the launch of the Hawaiʻi Fire Relief Housing program aimed at connecting Maui residents affected by the recent wildfires, with property owners who wish to provide them with rooms, dwelling units, houses and other accommodations immediately..Program application forms went live on HHFDC’s website, https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/hhfdc/, at 8 a.m. on Monday.."A list of available properties should be online by Tuesday. The program will remain active indefinitely," said Green..HHFDC staff said it is in the process of contacting landowners, landlords and management companies to encourage them to participate, in order to create a base inventory of available units on Maui and other islands across the state..Green is urging individual homeowners to consider joining the program by opening up their unoccupied living spaces as well..“This is a critical situation and time is of the essence,” Green said..“I am asking the people of Hawaii to consider making this significant sacrifice to help our neighbours, many of whom have lost everything they owned in a matter of minutes. Let's show the rest of the world the meaning of aloha.”.More than 1,000 families and individuals lost their homes due to this week’s tragedy..“We are going to need to house thousands of people,” Green said..“It’s our intent to initially seek 2,000 rooms so that we can quickly get housing for those who are displaced and in need of a home. We are asking folks in the community to rent out those extra rooms, the ‘ohana' units or accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in their homes, vacation rentals or whatever safe and secure rooms they have available.".HHFDC Interim Executive Director, Dean Minakami, said his staff will continue to gather information and make it available to the public as needed..“The program website will feature an online portal form for landlords to list any available units they may have,” Minakami said..“Once staff verifies the validity of the units, the information for those units is being placed in a database which will be available to those who have lost their homes or been displaced from their houses due to damage.”.For those without access to the internet, a telephone hotline (808-587-0469) has been established where landlords, property managers, homeowners or displaced residents may contact HHFDC staff for assistance or questions about the program. Staff will be available 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, including weekends..The public may also email the staff at hhfdcfirereliefhousing@hawaii.gov..A list of responses to frequently asked questions about the program will also be available on the HHFDC website..The program is designed to act as a referral service only, Green added..He said it is up to the landlords and rental agents and the displaced residents to reach terms on rental arrangements and there is no obligation for any party to accept an arrangement..Landlords who rent units to eligible residents displaced by the fires may be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency and/or state funds..Alarms never sounded.Close to 100 deaths have been confirmed by officials but just 3% of Lahaina's charred ruins have been searched.."We pick up remains and they fall apart," Maui County police chief John Pelletier told BBC News on Saturday.."None of us really know the size of it yet.".Dozens of survivors shared their stories of escape and loss with the BBC News, helping to piece together a more complete picture of the tragedy that unfolded on Tuesday when fires consumed the town.."One thing seemed to unite their accounts: residents say they had no official warning before they fled for their lives, raising painful questions about the effectiveness of the emergency response and whether more people could have been saved," BBC News reported..The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency’s spokesman, Adam Weintraub, confirmed on Saturday sirens were not activated and he stressed that the sirens alone would not have been a sign to evacuate, but for residents to seek more information..Weintraub said other alert systems were activated — including alerts that were sent to cellphones and through radio and television stations — but the power was out for much of the day in Lahaina on Tuesday, and many residents said they never got any warnings.
