78-Year-Old Woman Recognized as 100th Victim of Maui Wildfire

Sharlene Rabang's death attributed to wildfire after family's fight for recognition, highlighting the vulnerability of elderly and low-income individuals in natural disasters.

Sharlene Rabang, a 78-year-old woman with a history of cancer, COVID, and high blood pressure, became the 100th victim of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century after fleeing the wildfire that destroyed her town on Maui.
Rabang's death was initially not attributed to the wildfire, but her family fought to have it recognized as a contributing cause, which was eventually confirmed by Honolulu's medical examiner.
The wildfire, which occurred on August 8, devastated Lahaina, the onetime capital of the former kingdom of Hawaii, and destroyed an estimated 3,000 homes and apartments.
Studies suggest that wildfires disproportionately affect vulnerable people, such as the elderly, those with a diminished capacity to respond to danger, or low-income individuals. Of the Maui fire victims, 60 were 65 or older.
Rabang's family faced both financial and emotional challenges in the aftermath of her death, as they needed to prove she was a fire victim for her husband to receive government help for funeral or other expenses.