We are just back from seeing the devastation of that wildfire Lahaina. And tonight, we are learning shocking details that reveal Maui residents aren’t just dealing with a monumental natural disaster but also a disastrous response. CBSN has learned that Maui’s Emergency Operations Chief had no disaster experience. Why does that matter? Because it’s his department that’s responsible for setting off the warning sirens. For the first time since the early hours of the tragedy, the main Lahaina road is now open, allowing residents to see what’s left. There are now at least forty cadaver dogs helping with the search going block after block of burnt-out homes and cars looking for the hundreds of people that are still unaccounted for. The White House announcing today that the president and first lady will travel to Maui on Monday to survey the destruction and meet with first responders and survivors.

The town has reopened, and tonight thousands of people are returning home to scenes of devastation like this. But what many have also found is local emergency response that sources tell us have hampered the recovery effort. Tonight, with the death toll mounting, the road to recovery is long and painful. The county is under investigation for its response last week. Survivors say most residents were not evacuated and many of them waited days for help to arrive. And tonight, CBSN has learned Maui’s Emergency Operation Chief had no background in disaster response, getting the job over forty applicants according to Maui now. It’s estimated that it will cost more than five and a half billion dollars to rebuild Maui County. And for those who have lost their homes, now there is concern they will lose their ancestral land to predatorial developers. For now, paradise hangs by a thread as families still search for loved ones.