A MOTHER and son were among those who perished in wildfires that devastated the Lahaina in Maui, Hawaii, according to a family member.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is verifying the information. It earlier reported one Filipino has died from the wildfires.
In a Facebook post, Edna Sagudang said her mother, Conchita, and her elder brother, Danilo, were identified by forensic experts in Lahaina as among the over 100 fatalities in the wildfires.
“Conchita and Danilo passed away while trying to escape the brush fires near the Paunau subdivision in Lahaina,” said Sagudang, a native of Abra.
As of last count, 114 people were confirmed to have died from the wind-whipped firestorm that raged through Lahaina in west Maui on Aug. 8. Authorities fear the number would go higher as about 1,000 persons remain missing.
The Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce earlier said many Filipinos are among the 1,000 individuals reported missing.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has said some 388,000 individuals in Hawaii identified themselves as Filipinos or part Filipino, including 25,000 in Maui. Of these, 200,000 are pure-blooded Filipinos.
DFA Undersecretary Jose Eduardo de Vega said the department is verifying the death of the Filipino mother and son. He said Philippine Consul General to Honolulu Emilio Fernandez initially reported to the DFA that the two are not among those whose identities have been made public by officials of Maui County.
He said they will also communicate with the Sagudang family once they get the official confirmation.
On Friday, De Vega said 79-year-old Filipino Alfredo Galinato was among the fatalities in the wildfires that hit Lahaina. He said Galinato is a naturalized US citizen originally from Ilocos and that his family is based in Hawaii.
Sagudang expressed gratitude to her friends and family who participated in the search for her mother and brother when they were initially reported as missing.
“I want to send out a big Mahalo to everyone, especially family and friends, who put in their time and effort to help look for them and have sent us love and prayers,” she added.
Sagudang in an earlier post said their family expressed the hope that their mother and brother might have been able to escape the raging inferno.
The DFA said Filipinos who lost contact with their relatives in Maui, particularly in Lahaina, could contact the emergency hotline +18082539446 for additional information.
BIDEN VISIT
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, California — President Joe Biden’s duty as consoler-in-chief will be put to the test on Monday when he visits Maui, nearly two weeks after wildfires swept through the Hawaiian island.
Biden will pause his vacation in Lake Tahoe to fly from Reno, Nevada, to Maui, where he and first lady Jill Biden will take a helicopter tour of the burned-out areas.
They will then visit the devastated Lahaina community to see the wildfire damage firsthand and receive a briefing from state and local officials.
After the tour, Biden will make remarks “paying respects to the lives lost and reflecting on the tragic, lasting impacts of these wildfires on survivors and the community,” a White House official said.
Biden, who is seeking re-election in 2024, has been criticized by some Republicans and others for his initial response to the Maui fires. He went days without speaking about the tragedy when it first took place while vacationing at his Delaware beach house.
The White House countered that Biden has been leading a “whole of government” effort to help Hawaii recover. Biden himself said he did not want to travel to Maui until he was assured that he would not interfere with emergency response efforts.
On Monday, he will announce the appointment of FEMA Region 9 administrator Bob Fenton as the chief federal response coordinator to oversee a long-term federal recovery effort, the White House official said.
Biden also will meet emergency responders, survivors and community members, the official said.
“I will do everything in my power to help Maui recover and rebuild from this tragedy,” Biden said in a statement on Sunday. “And throughout our efforts, we are focused on respecting sacred lands, cultures, and traditions.”
Biden has traveled to a variety of disaster zones, including places struck by hurricanes, floods and tornadoes, since becoming president in January 2021. His visit on Monday came as Tropical Storm Hilary dumped rain in southern California and southwestern states.
Maui presents a special challenge as the remains of some of the victims are still being recovered from burned-out buildings.
Amid concerns by displaced Lahaina residents that developers will seek to buy them out, FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said on Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” show that Biden will reassure the residents that they will be in control of how they rebuild. — With Reuters
