Mayor of Maui says 850 people are still missing as Biden expected to visit burn area today

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will meet with Maui wildfire survivors on Monday

Nearly two weeks after fast-moving wildfires engulfed several neighbourhoods in Maui, there are still 850 people missing.

Richard Bissen, the mayor of Maui, said in a Facebook video post that officials in the American Red Cross, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) based in Honolulu and Maui Police Department have combined and refined a list of names of the missing individuals.

The number is a decline from the 2,000+ names it contained when the search for missing residents first began last week.

Mr Bissen said he was both “saddened and relieved” about the numbers, saying that over 1,287 people have been located safe.

Of the original missing list, 114 have been declared deceased as of Monday morning, with most of those identifications pending.

Mr Bissen told viewers to expect the number of identified individuals to rise and the number of missing individuals to fall as officials work to search, recover and rescue more victims and survivors.

He implored those with missing family members to submit their DNA to the Family Assistance Center to help officials identify the remains of those who perished in the fires.

Due to the extremely hot blaze that quickly moved in on towns like Lahaina on 8 August, it is difficult for officials to identify bodies without DNA samples.

In a separate post, the County of Maui had an employee with ANDE Rapid DNA explain how they use the technology to match victims to survivors and other family members.

Local, state and federal officials are continuing their work this week to help assist survivors in obtaining clean water, food, shelter and money to eventually rebuild homes that have been lost.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are expected to join officials in visiting with survivors and the burned area on Monday.

Their visit comes after Mr Biden received backlash from people who felt his public-facing actions did not reflect sympathy or efforts to help the victims of Maui. Mr Biden has insisted repeatedly that he acted swiftly following the wildfires and is continuing to respond with a whole-of-government approach.