Hawaiian officials delayed request to divert water to firefighters battling Maui wildfire, report claims
The wildfire’s death toll has exceed the Camp fire in California, which killed 85 people
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Your support makes all the difference.New documents allege that state authorities in Hawaii delayed a water management company's request to divert water to Maui to help fight wildfires that ripped through the island earlier this month.
The allegations were reportedly detailed in a letter obtained by CNN.
Glenn Tremble of the West Maui Land Company — which manages the state's water supply companies — expressed his frustration in a letter to the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management, reportedly claiming the agency failed to approve his company's request to move water to reservoirs to help firefighting capabilities during the wildfire.
He was told that the company had to consider the impact such a diversion would take on downstream users, according to the report.
State officials announced they will investigate the emergency response to the wildfire, which killed more than 100 people earlier this month.
It is unclear if the diversion would have made a notable difference in the firefighting capabilities of responders battling the blaze.
An estimated 1,300 people are still missing in the wake of the fire, and the death toll is expected to climb as search crews comb through affected parts of the island. Maui County estimates that approximately 40 per cent of the sites where the fires burned have been searched.
"There will not be any survivors in the area left," Governor Josh green told CBS News. "Our hearts will break beyond repair, perhaps, if that means that many more dead. None of us think that, but we're prepared for many tragic stories."
Rescuers who helped search through the wreckage of the World Trade Center buildings after the 9/11 terrorist attack and recovery efforts following the Camp fire in California have been called to the island to assist in identifying the remains of victims.
County officials have encouraged residents to provide DNA samples to assist with the identification process.
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