FEMA director says 'hundreds' could have died in Maui wildfires and that the scene looks like something out of an 'apocalyptic movie'

• FEMA Director Deanne Criswell said the scenes from Hawaii are like an "apocalyptic movie."
• Appearing on CBS, Criswell was asked if she agreed with an estimate that "hundreds" have died.

The head of the federal government's disaster response effort indicated Sunday that the death toll from the devastating wildfires on Maui this week is likely to rise significantly in the coming days, saying she has no reason to doubt estimates that "hundreds" may have perished.

As of Sunday morning, at least 93 people had been confirmed dead in this week's natural disaster, which effectively wiped out the city of Lahaina. Speaking with CBS's "Face the Nation," FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said that only 3% of the areas affected by the fires had been searched for potential survivors — and the bodies of victims — due to the fact that many buildings are potentially dangerous to enter. In some cases, the ground is still too hot for search-and-rescue dogs to traverse.

"It's absolutely heartbreaking to just see an entire community that is no longer there," Criswell said, describing the scene on the Hawaiian island as like "an apocalyptic movie."

The number of confirmed dead is also likely to spike, Criswell noted, saying she has no reason to "second guess" estimates from people on the ground that hundreds have died.

Criswell's comments come amid criticism of the state and federal handling of what looks to be the worst wildfire in modern US history.

"This is the largest natural disaster we've ever experienced," Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Saturday. "It's going to also be a natural disaster that's going to take an incredible amount of time to recover from."

President Joe Biden declared a "major disaster" on Thursday and some 150 FEMA personnel are currently in Hawaii to assist with relief efforts, including providing food and shelter. But some have criticized the pace of the response, particularly at the state level.

On Friday, the head of the Hawaii's emergency response service said that none of Maui's early-warning sirens went off as they were supposed to, although some residents did receive text messages warning them of the blaze.

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