Volunteers load water onto a boat to be transported to West Maui from the Kihei boat landing. Photo: JUSTIN SULLIVAN/AFP
Hawaii's Governor says over $US5.6 billion worth of infrastructure was destroyed in the wildfires that devastated the town of Lahaina last week.
Josh Green told a media conference in Honolulu search and rescue teams are combing through hundreds of buildings in Lahaina to recover bodies.
The death toll is officially 96, making this the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century.
But Green told media it could take up to 10 days to learn the full death toll.
He said the number of missing stands at about 1300, as people have been able to reconnect with one another after access to cellphone service improved.
The Governor, who has visited the town to observe recovery efforts, said it was a grim task.
"It is a harrowing sight in Maui. When those providers - the police and this division - do come across scenes in houses and businesses, it's very difficult for them because they know they will be sharing with our people that there will be more fatalities. I do expect the numbers to rise."
Maui police chief John Pelletier told reporters only a fraction of the town had been searched and that many of the bodies are yet to be identified.
"We're going as fast as we can. But just so you know, three percent - that's what's been searched with the dogs, three percent.
"We've got 12 more dogs on the way today, we just made that request and FEMA made that happen. They're on their way," he said.
Hawaiian journalist Bill Dorman from Hawai'i Public Radio told RNZ on Monday only a handful of the deceased have been identified due to the lack of capacity for forensic work.
He said more than 2200 structures have been destroyed in West Maui and another 500 have been damaged inland from another fire on the island.
"Help is needed, has been needed. Federal help has started to arrive more is coming, everything from cadaver dogs to emergency workers to help with the rescue operations," he said.
Survivors and churchgoers pray during a church service held by Pastor Brown of Lahaina's Grace Baptist Church, in Wailuku, central Maui. Photo: YUKI IWAMURA/AFP
Anger has been expressed by some about the quickness of the response.
Aid worker Emily Johnson questioned the lack of resources by the states.
"These islands, they go through tsunamis, hurricanes; we are often having to be very self reliant because we are isolated.
"Now that said, I feel like we're all kind of wondering why was there no help send from O'ahu?
"Pearl Harbor is a 20-minute flight away, right? Why are the limited resources of police on this island left alone? Why are we taking supplies on the boat instead of the helicopter?"
Governor Green however, said he's working with Hawaii's many hotels to provide free housing to Lahaina's population.
He said the federal government is sending its full support and that in the coming months and years Lahaina will be restored.
"We have over 500 hotel rooms, which will be available to people who have been victims of this terrible fire.
"We will also have additional hotel rooms for first responders, so they'll be able to respond and retreat to a hotel room safely."
The BBC reports the fire is still burning and is about 85 percent contained, according to Maui County officials.
How the fire started remains unconfirmed, though it was fuelled by winds from nearby Hurricane Dora and drought conditions.
A class-action lawsuit was filed at the weekend against Hawaii's largest electricity provider, Hawaii Electric, which alleges the company's downed power lines contributed to the wildfires.
Tongan family devastated by loss
Four members of a Tongan family have been identified among those killed in the fires.
Hawaii News Now reports the family were found in a burnt-out car near their home.
The victims are husband and wife Mauifonua and Faaoso Tone, along with their daughter Salote, and grandson Tony.
A statement issued by the family said "the magnitude of our grief is indescribable".
- With additional information from the BBC
