President Biden will go to the Maui disaster area next week, the White House said on Wednesday. While he is there, he will meet with first responders and look at the damage caused by the huge flames that swept through Hawaii.
“On Maui, the President along with the First Lady will be welcomed by local leaders so they can see for themselves how the wildfires have affected the island and how many lives and acres of land have been lost,” press sec. Karine Jean-Pierre said in a comment reported by the Hill.
People have said that the president should not have said “no comment” about the number of deaths and said he wouldn’t go right away because he didn’t want to be a distraction.
He said this Tuesday, “My wife Jill and I will go to Hawaii when we can. That is what I’ve been telling the governor.” “I do not want to get in the way. I’ve visited too many disaster places, but I want to go and make sure we have everything they need. I want to make sure we don’t stop the rebuilding activities that are already going on.”
Breitbart News reported on Tuesday that 106 people had died in the devastating wildfires. At the same time, Vice President Joe Biden said he would visit the area “soon” and offer “thoughts and prayers” and help to the survivors.
Now, Biden has said he will go to Maui, but he hasn’t said much about how he will get there.
While he is there, the president can expect to be asked about how ready the government was and how they handled the disaster.
During the early stages of the blaze, some fire hydrants allegedly ran out of water, and many warning systems across Maui either did not work or did not go off.
Hawaiian Electric, the largest power company in the state, is being sued by a group of people who say the company should have turned off its power lines to prevent fires.
Arguments can also be made about who is responsible generally.
In an interview with ABC on Tuesday, FEMA spokesman John Mills replied to Breitbart News’s story that the Department of Defense referred questions about disaster aid in Hawaii to FEMA.
Mills said, “Maui County plays a big role in requests.” And in response to a question about who is in charge, he said, “We’re listening to local leaders about where our staff can do the most good.”
