[ cheers and applause ] ♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, desperation on maui. one week after wildfires unleashed hell -- >> the people had to jump over the seawall and into the water there. some made it, some didn't.

>> byron: with the death toll still climbing -- >> i knew in my heart that she was -- was gone. >> byron: cadaver dogs scouring the scorched devastation. >> it's not just ash. it's our loved ones. >> byron: the families desperately searching for those still unaccounted for as frustration mounts. >> i'm trying to get in to see my house, i can't go see it. >> byron: where will they go? the iowa state fair. amid former president trump's fourth indictment, we're on the ground at the crucial stop in the political calendar. home to the butter cow, fried dough, and likely the next republican presidential nominee. but with trump's shadow looming. >> how do you close the gap with the former president? >> you work hard. i think iowans want to see you, they want to be able to kick the tires. >> byron: can any other candidate break through? >> do any of these indictments

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♪ >> byron: good evening. thank you for joining us. tonight, the catastrophe on

is still unfolding. from the grim task of identifying the dead to families still searching for loved ones. now frustration about what happened in the moments leading up to the inferno. for many, what's happening now. abc's will carr reporting tonight from maui. >> reporter: a week after the deadly wildfires first tore through maui, sending people diving into pools, trying to flee the flames -- >> yes, we are in the pool right now. >> reporter: or clinging to the shoreline for cover. those who survived still remembering the horror. >> the people had to jump over the seawall and into the water there. some made it, some didn't. >> reporter: my colleague, gio benitez, speaking with shalia kaheie and her husband pastor, the two recounting how one left turn may have saved their lives as they evacuated lahaina. >> very sad. i just said, lord, direct our steps. and my husband turned left. >> turned left. >> and i'm so thankful.

>> thank you, jesus. >> because we would have ended up -- >> just like everybody else. >> reporter: at least 101 now confirmed dead. the number still expected to rise. >> we are trying to reunify families in the sense of closure. having them know if we have found their loved one. and of course, that's our priority. >> reporter: mobile morgue trucks arriving as the painstaking efforts to find the dead continues. >> we now have 416 people from fema, 273 specifically from the national guard as well, 185 in the emergency response with 20 dogs finding those who have suffered. >> reporter: today, president biden speaking with the governor and vowing to visit hawaii soon. >> whatever you need, you're going to get. and that will get aid into the hands of people who desperately need it, who have lost loved ones, who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, who have been damaged and destroyed.

>> reporter: some say the resources aren't coming fast enough, with many parts of the island still smoldering. frustration boiling over. >> our government needs to step up and help the locals. they're busing tourists over and leaving us out in the rain. i mean -- this is an ongoing thing. >> reporter: residents like mark stepolt desperate to see what's left of their homes. >> i'm trying to get in to see my house, i can't even go see it. our house, our neighborhood, was the first houses to go down. >> it's absolutely ridiculous. people have been waiting for days, hours. you know, waiting in line to go over there, trying to do it the appropriate way. nobody has any information. i mean, it's atrocious. >> reporter: the governor saying the main road into west maui will finally be open to all starting wednesday morning, though access to the impact zone will be limited. social worker jazzy wong has been volunteering at shelters across maui, offering mental health support to those displaced.

>> think there's dire need, especially on the west side, where there are people who are deeply affected by the fires and have lost family members and homes. >> reporter: jazzy says the areas most affected are in need of supplies they aren't getting. >> we're still vulnerable and fragile at this time. and whether you were in the fires or you were 50 miles away, we're all feeling this collective trauma. >> reporter: now some families are finally getting the answers they've been dreading. >> i pointed on the tv and i said, "carol's house is right here to the left." you turn another left, and she's four houses down. and if this is gone? her house is gone. and i knew in my heart that she was -- it was gone. >> reporter: carol hartley was a hawaii resident of over 30 years who had been missing since last tuesday. loved ones, including her sister, donna jo, believe she was found deceased this weekend.

>> she was beautiful. she was beautiful in her own way. she had a heart of gold. she cared about other people more than herself. and that was always -- she was always that way. >> reporter: the family of joe schilling known locally as uncle joe says he chose to stay in his apartment complex with five elderly residents who were unable to escape. his loved ones now believe he most likely died in the fire, sharing these last photos from him. >> there isn't anybody in the family who knew joe that would be surprised that he would put himself at risk to help somebody else. >> reporter: hundreds in lahaina remain unaccounted for, their loved ones desperate to find them. >> we can only move as fast as we can, but we've got the right amount of workers, the right amount of teams doing it. it's not just ash on your clothing when you take it off.

it's our loved ones. that's the reverence. that's why we can't have you walking down there. >> reporter: one of those still missing, 79-year-old maurice bewen. >> i've been nonstop trying to find my dad. >> reporter: kimberly spoke to her father two days before the fire broke out. >> wednesday morning, my phone was blowing up with all my news notifications. immediately, i went and called him. it went straight to voicemail. i texted him. still no reply back. >> reporter: officials are urging those with missing family members to submit dna for comparison. >> the big thing we're asking, for people that are either residents or who are visiting maui during this time, to go to their family assistance center and give a dna swab sample so we can use that in our database. >> i still have not done that

yet, simply for the fact, that's real. dna testing, that's real. >> reporter: kimberly's uncle ernest and her cousin live on maui and stepped up on her behalf. >> they took swabs, you know. gave a sample. that was it. >> we were just praying and hoping that something will come out of it. >> reporter: while the search for the unaccounted continues, questions linger about the utility company and why they left the power on despite wind warnings. the ceo of hawaiian electric saying the power was needed to help keep the water system working. >> in lahaina, the electricity powers the pumps that provide the water. that was also a critical need during that time. >> reporter: that water system ultimately failed. firefighter ana kohler speaking to whit johnson about the hydrants going dry. >> i felt the hose line coming in from the hydrant, the intake

line. it was soft. and i was like, there's no pressure. there's no water. >> so the hydrant ran out of water? >> dry, yeah. >> has that ever happened to you before? >> no. >> reporter: a growing number of the displaced being housed in hotels and rental properties. more than 2,000 units made available across the island. others on this island holding their families closer. >> hope and pray that every family and their loved ones and their children are accounted for. elderly, parent, grandma, grandpa are accounted for. >> you have each other. >> reporter: our colleague, becky worley, speaking to the displaced family, three generations in one house. a tent in the front yard to help the overflow. >> we have some shelter. which some people don't have. you know. in some ways we're not as bad off as others. it's kind of hard to talk about it. you know, there's suffering. >> reporter: trying to hold on to what's left. >> our community of lahaina, we all are one. everybody knows each other.

it's just a big circle. everybody's family to each other. some type of friend. and it's lahaina strong. >> byron: our thanks to will. up next, it's the place to be if you're running for president. we're on the ground at the iowa state fair. in my ozempic® tri-zone, i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. and you may lose weight. adults lost up to 14 pounds. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis.

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ask your doctor about cabenuva today. ♪ >> byron: former president donald trump is now facing his fourth indictment in five months, while his legal calendar intersects with the political calendar. we're at one of the biggest events of the campaign season, the iowa state fair.

can any of his gop rivals shake loose trump's grip on the party? here's abc's rachel scott. >> reporter: in mid-august, there's only one place to be in iowa. that's at the state fair. almost 1 million people will see the butter cow and other attractions, fried dough, fried meat, fried you name it. in terms of the main attraction -- nothing draws a crowd faster than the sighting of a political candidate. >> oh, my! so great to meet you! >> reporter: for decades, the fair has been one of the early must stops on the presidential political calendar. a place to get some name recognition, as well as engage in the almost quaint retail politicking so many iowans expect. >> you're eating a pork chop on a stick, you're doing a deep fried snicker. you're trying a lot of things. you act like you like everything. you get to see iowans. >> reporter: there are more than a dozen republican candidates running. while donald trump dominates the race, the others are utilizing every opportunity to break through.

>> probably trump is the most appealing at this time. desantis is also. i've done a lot of research on him as well. and then another gentleman that i can't pronounce his last name. >> i can't remember his name off the top of my head. oh -- i can't think of his name. >> reporter: hoping to penetrate, the candidates roam the 300-plus acres of the fairground. >> hey there. >> how do you close the gap with some of the front-runners? >> we're the least known of all the candidates, so we've got the most upside mathematically. half the voters haven't heard of us yet and we're polling even with some people that have held national office. >> i believe trump's support is going to diminish over time when they start thinking about how he can win up and down the ticket. what the impact would be to have someone that's under multiple criminal indictments leading the ticket. >> reporter: in order to appeal to voters, some go on rides,

play games, or flip pork burgers. one rapped to eminem. ♪ lose yourself in the music the moment you own it ♪ ♪ you better never let it go ♪ >> reporter: knowing all too well on this saturday, the main event would soon become donald trump. >> we want trump! we want trump! >> reporter: even before he arrived, his campaign and supporters making his presence felt. >> yay, trump! >> reporter: heckling his former vice president, mike pence. >> you're a traitor! he's a traitor! >> shut up! >> usa, usa! >> reporter: and taunting desantis. >> we want trump! >> reporter: the jeering continuing as trump's plane teased an imminent arrival. while another plane carrying a banner saying "be likeable, ron" appeared. reaction back there at your last stop. how do you close the gap with the former president? >> i think iowans want to see you, they want to be able to

kick the tires, they want to know you'll fight for them as president. we're showing that, and we're going to do all 99 counties. and there's no other way to do it. >> reporter: despite all of trump's legal troubles, many supporters aren't fazed. do any of these indictments concern you? >> they -- they don't concern me, i'll be honest. >> i think it's all overblown. i'm still backing him 100% until something tells me otherwise. >> reporter: do you find any of the allegations that are being leveled against him serious? >> compared to what joe biden's done and his son? you know. >> reporter: massive crowds erupting when the former president finally arrives, flanked by florida members of congress who endorsed him over desantis. >> some crowd, what do you think? >> can you hold on to your lead here in iowa? are you concerned about spending more time in the courtroom than campaigning? >> i guess we're leading by record numbers, so i think we're doing pretty good in iowa. they like me, i like them, right?

>> reporter: not everyone in the crowd agreed with that proclamation. did you support trump last election? >> yes, we did. >> reporter: will you support him again? >> not sure. i like his business attitude. presentation's a little tough right now. we're from rural iowa. we like to treat people with respect even though we might not agree with them. >> reporter: why not support trump again? >> too much controversy. >> too much garbage. >> we need somebody focused on our country, not on donald trump. >> don't get me wrong, i still like trump. but i'm hoping he can win the general. and i just -- it just scares me. i think there's too much at stake. >> reporter: dale and susan springman waited for hours outside the pork producers tent for trump's appearance. >> there's a lot of conversation right around where i was standing. a lot of it was, you know, some of them had, yes, voted for trump and they were excited. but still questioning too whether it would carry on into 2024. >> reporter: lifelong

republicans from neighboring minnesota, the couple had voted for him twice but aren't sure if he can beat biden in a general election. >> i was the most excited to see vivek ramaswamy. i guess he impresses me. so smart and articulate. >> you get ahead in this country with your own hard work, your own commitment, your own dedication, and that you're free to speak your mind at every step of the way. that's the american dream. >> reporter: dale's assessment is music to ramaswamy's ears. a biotech executive from ohio, he has been attracting more attention than many of the other hopefuls. >> only two people who matter in this race, there's donald trump and myself. >> reporter: the 38-year-old son of immigrants is the youngest republican to declare a run for presidency, turning heads as the self-proclaimed better version of gop front-runner donald trump. you've made a lot of headlines for parts of your campaign platform and policy. including the elimination, the call to eliminate certain federal agencies, starting with

the department of education and the fbi. >> yes. >> reporter: do you not see any purpose at all for those agencies? >> some cases, those agencies have purposes that should not exist. department of education is in that category. the federal government should have nothing to do with administering local education. shut it down is the answer. the fbi is a redundant agency. when you have a redundant agency, that's a formula for corruption, which is exactly what we see. >> reporter: despite going up against an incumbent he admires, ramaswamy says he's not intimidated. >> i'm running a scrappy race. we are putting in the work to do it, because i'm not taking the voters for granted. >> there's ways you can step up. >> reporter: ramaswamy has gotten the attention of influential evangelical bob vander plaats. he supported the winners in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 caucuses. he's not keen on this year's front-runner. >> i believe america has made up their mind on the former president. it's time to turn the page and look for the next generational leader. >> reporter: if not trump, then who?

>> governor ron desantis, what he's done in florida. nikki haley, popular governor of south carolina. mike pence. ramaswamy. tim scott's got a compelling story. i wouldn't make a whole lot about those early polls right now. >> reporter: even though none of vander plaats' picks and caucus winners went on to win the republican nomination, he believes iowa and its fair are relevant. >> our job isn't necessarily to pick who's going to be the nominee. our job is to winnow the field, let middle america make its decision. >> byron: our thanks to rachel. coming up, paying tribute to a trailblazer. why clarence avant was known as the black godfather. . with skyrizi to treat my skin and joints, i'm getting into my groove. ♪(uplifting music)♪ along with significantly clearer skin... skyrizi helps me move with less joint pain,

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♪ ♪ finally tonight, celebrating a legend. the black godfather. clarence avant, a pioneering music executive who sent bill withers to the top of the charts with hits like "lean on me" -- ♪ lean on me when you're not strong ♪ >> byron: died sunday at his home in l.a. a child of segregated north carolina, avant became an entrepreneur, a vibrant force behind the scenes and in public. he once ran motown, in 2021 was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. clarence avant was 92. and that's "nightline" for this evening. catch our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for the company, america. good night.