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.
“I know how profoundly loss can impact a family and a community and I know nothing can replace the loss of life,” Biden said in a statement ahead of the trip. “I will do everything in my power to help Maui recover and rebuild from this tragedy. And throughout our efforts, we are focused on respecting sacred lands, cultures, and traditions.
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.
More than 1,000 federal officials remain on the ground in Hawaii to respond to the wildfires, according to the White House. The administration has doled out more than $8 million in aid to affected families. 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.”
“As bad as this looks, it’s actually worse,” he said in a phone interview on Sunday. “What you can’t see is the damage to utility infrastructure. What you can’t see is the thousands of kids who are trying to figure out how to go to school this fall. What you can’t see is the first responders who went into the flames without regard for their own safety and had their own homes burned down.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Bidens will travel to Maui to meet with wildfire survivors and first respondersPresident 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
Read more »
The Bidens will travel to Maui to meet with wildfire survivors and first respondersPresident 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.
Read more »
President Biden, first lady to visit Maui and hear from survivors after devastating wildfiresPresident Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit Maui on Monday to observe the recovery from devastating wildfires on the Hawaiian island and hear from survivors
Read more »
Biden Urged to Back Hawaiian Cases Against Big Oil Ahead of Maui VisitThe historic blaze that leveled Lahaina has sparked national conversations about the climate emergency.
Read more »
Top FEMA official touts progress in Hawaii recovery efforts, previews Biden’s trip to MauiFederal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell lauded progress in the recovery efforts in Hawaii ahead of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden’s trip to Maui.
Read more »
Biden faces calls to declare climate emergency as he heads to MauiClimate groups and many of the president’s allies in Congress urge him to invoke emergency powers to mitigate environmental threats.
Read more »