US President Biden Visits Hawaii Amid Fire Response Criticism

US President Joe Biden traveled to Hawaii on Monday to view the damage from the Maui wildfires, meet with survivors and respond to criticism that his administration took too long to respond to the fires.

Biden and first lady Jill came nearly two weeks after the blaze, fanned by wind, tore through historic Lahaina, killing at least 114 people. The number must be higher as 1,000 are still missing.

The fire spread rapidly, leaving many residents in shock. Some jumped into the ocean to escape the worst natural disaster in Hawaii state history.

After a helicopter flight, Biden will announce more relief funding and appoint a federal coordinating officer to manage the response to the tragedy.

Some critical voices, and the Republican opposition facing Biden in the 2024 presidential election, say the aid is insufficient and poorly organized.

Former Republican President Donald Trump called it a “disgrace” that his successor did not respond sooner. White House spokesmen accuse Biden of delaying the trip so as not to distract officials and first responders.

Biden spokeswoman Olivia Dalton told reporters aboard Air Force One that the president expects an “emotional day” as he meets with survivors.

“The president wants to be with them, making sure to communicate with them that we’ve been there from day one, but he wants his administration to be there as long as it takes,” he added.

Biden “will experience the complete and utter devastation that this city has experienced,” Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Dean Criswell said in an interview with ABC on Sunday.

“You can talk to people, listen to their stories and give them hope and assurance that the central government is with them,” he added.

“I know nothing can make up for the loss of life. I will do everything in my power to recover from this tragedy and rebuild Maui,” Biden, who is vacationing in Nevada, pledged in a statement.

A slow agony

According to Criswell, more than 1,000 federal agents are already in Hawaii, and none of them will be transferred to the American Southwest to combat the effects of Tropical Storm Hillary.

Maui residents complain that searching for missing people and identifying bodies is painfully slow.

On Sunday (20), Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced that more than 1,000 people were missing, many of them children. Search teams have covered 85% of the search area, and the remaining 15% could take weeks, Green told CBS.

The intense heat of the fire made some remains impossible to recover.

Criswell acknowledged the process will be slow, but said the federal government has sent experts from the FBI, Department of Defense and Department of Health and Human Services to help with the identification process.

Although practically mandatory from a political perspective, presidential visits to major disaster areas can be risky.

In 2005 after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, President George W. When Bush visited Louisiana, his detractors used a photo of him looking out the window of Air Force One (the presidential plane) as it flew over New Orleans to expose what they denounced. Lack of empathy in your visit.

Donald Trump was seen as arrogant and insensitive when he threw toilet paper rolls at a crowd in 2017 after a hurricane hit Puerto Rico.

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