“ Avoid all non-essential travel to Maui. »

THE Government of Canada updated his Travel advice for the United States because of Forest fires are raging in Hawaii.

While evacuation efforts are underway on the islands of Maui and Hawaii, these fires are estimated to have already claimed at least 55 lives on Maui – in addition to the near-total destruction of the tourist town of Lahaina, the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii in the 19th century.

“On August 9, 2023, the State of Hawaii declared a state of emergency on Maui due to severe wildfires. Evacuations are underway on Maui and the island of Hawaii. Significant damage to infrastructure and roads is reported,” emphasizes Global Affairs Canada.

AMC says the following essential services may be disrupted:

• Transport;
• power distribution;
• water and food supplies;
• telecommunications networks;
• Emergency services;
• medical care.

For Canadians already in Hawaii

For Canadians in wildfire-affected areas, the ministry recommends the following:

• Be careful;
• monitoring local media and weather reports;
• Follow instructions from local authorities, including evacuation instructions.

Canadians in Hawaii who need emergency consular assistance can contact the Emergency Monitoring and Response Center of Global Affairs Canada by phone at +1-613-996-8885 (collect calls may also be accepted), by text message at +1-613-686-3658, by Telegram at Emergency Canada abroad, via WhatsApp at +1-613-909-8881 or via Signal at +1-613-909-8087. You can also write to sos@international.gc.ca.

Global Affairs Canada also encourages concerned Canadians to consult the following links:

Condolences

Yesterday (August 10th) the Foreign Minister, Melanie Jolyissued a condolence statement to the victims of the Hawaii wildfires:

“On behalf of all Canadians, I extend our sincerest condolences to those who have lost family members or friends and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.” Our thoughts are with the people of Hawaii during this difficult time. The United States is Canada’s most important friend and ally, and we stand with them as our two countries battle unprecedented wildfires. »

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