President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are traveling to Maui to comfort survivors of the devastating wildfires that ripped through the western part of the Hawaiian island earlier this month.
FILE - President Joe Biden speaks on the anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act during an event in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, in Washington. – President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are traveling to Maui on Monday to comfort survivors ofthat ripped through the western part of the Hawaiian island earlier this month, as his administration responds to the devastation whose full scope is still unknown.
They will also view the damaged town, both from helicopters and on the ground, and the Democratic president will deliver remarks paying tribute to the victims of the wildfires, which haveThe president will also tap Bob Fenton, a regional leader at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as chief federal response coordinator for the Maui wildfires, ensuring that someone from his administration will be responsible for long-term recovery efforts.
While immediate aid such as water, food and blankets has been readily distributed to residents, Schatz said that cellphones, identification and other documents that people would need to help them enroll in longer-term aid programs were burned in the fires, adding more challenges to the application process.
Schatz, who will be with Biden as the president travels to his home state on Monday, stressed that officials were “still responding to the disaster" and"We are not yet in a recovery phase.”
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