Rebuilding Hawaii After Devastating Wildfires May Cost Almost $6Bln - Disaster Center

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Rebuilding Hawaii after the devastating wildfires, which destroyed over 2,000 buildings, may cost almost $6 billion, the United States’ Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) has said.

A US broadcaster cited Hawaii Governor Josh Green as saying on Saturday that the number of deaths from the wildfires increased to 89. The disaster has officially become deadliest in modern US history, surpassing California's Camp Fire that killed 85 people in 2018.

The PDC released its damage assessment maps of the wildfires in Maui County on Saturday. They showed that 2,207 buildings were burned down or damaged in the Lahaina fire, while a total of 3,263 structures were exposed to fire in both Lahaina and Kula in Maui County. The estimated cost to rebuild the settlements amounted to $5.95 billion.

The assessment also indicated that 86% of the damaged or destroyed buildings in Lahaina were residential, which potentially left 4,500 people with no shelter.

The wildfires in Hawaii broke out due to dry and hot weather and are exacerbated by strong winds brought by Hurricane Dora. Some fires cover an area of 400 hectares (over 1.5 square mile).

The fire destroyed several settlements, including the popular tourist town of Lahaina. The authorities are forced to block roads and suspend public transport. Hundreds of local residents were evacuated from the area.

On Thursday, US President Joe Biden officially declared a major disaster in Hawaii, which makes additional federal resources available to help combat ongoing wildfires on the islands.