U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden board a plane as they depart for Maui from Reno, Nevada, U.S., August 21, 2023.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
President Joe Biden will visit Maui, Hawaii, on Monday, as authorities race to locate and recuperate nearly 850 people who find themselves still missing after catastrophic wildfires swept the island and burned for weeks.
The blazes, which were over 80% contained Sunday, had already claimed greater than 110 lives and caused billions of dollars in property damage. The wildfires are the worst disaster in Hawaii state history and the deadliest wildfires in the US in greater than a century.
Upon arrival, the president and the primary lady will survey the devastation in Lahaina aboard a helicopter. Later, they are going to tour wildfire damage within the town firsthand, and receive a briefing from officials.
While in Hawaii, Biden may even announce the appointment of Bob Fenton, a FEMA regional administrator, to oversee the long-term federal effort to support Maui’s recovery.
Fenton oversees the FEMA region that features Hawaii and recently led the federal response to the monkey pox outbreak in 2022. Fenton has been on the bottom in Hawaii because the wildfires began, in accordance with the White House.
“I’ll do all the pieces in my power to assist Maui recuperate and rebuild from this tragedy,” Biden said in a press release Sunday ahead of the trip. “Throughout our efforts, we’re focused on respecting sacred lands, cultures, and traditions.”
Search and recovery team members check charred buildings and cars within the aftermath of the Maui wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, on August 18, 2023.
Yuki Iwamura | Afp | Getty Images
Biden has been in regular contact with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a Democrat, and received regular updates from Federal Emergency Management Administrator Deanne Criswell.
“I know the way profoundly loss can impact a family and a community and I do know nothing can replace the lack of life,” the president said. Biden’s first wife and infant daughter were killed in a automotive crash in 1972. His eldest son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015.
Search dogs have combed about 85% of the disaster site in Lahaina up to now, in accordance with county officials.
The FBI and the Maui Police Department have positioned greater than 1,200 survivors, said Maui Mayor Richard Bissen in a video posted Sunday.
Biden declared a serious disaster in Hawaii on Aug. 10, hours after Hawaii’s governor requested the declaration, unlocking federal assistance for Maui.
Greater than 1,000 federal personnel are currently on the bottom in Maui, including greater than 450 search and rescue team members, in accordance with FEMA. The White House has approved $8.2 million in assistance to greater than 2,700 households up to now, including $3.4 million in initial rental assistance.
In an aerial view, burned cars and houses are seen in a neighborhood that was destroyed by a wildfire on August 18, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
The blazes began suddenly and spread swiftly around Aug. 8, fanned by winds from Hurricane Dora and fueled by drought conditions on Maui. The reason behind the fires is under investigation, but several lawsuits have already been filed against the facility company Hawaiian Electric, alleging that downed power lines sparked the blazes.
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez has also launched a review of the disaster response by state and native officials. The Maui Emergency Management Agency didn’t activate sirens in the course of the wildfires, leaving residents with little warning that the fires were spreading rapidly.
Maui’s emergency management administrator, Herman Andaya, resigned abruptly last week after defending his decision to not activate the sirens.
Green, the governor, stressed that the review of the local emergency response is just not a criminal investigation.
