© Reuters. File photo: Signs are seen on the site of the destroyed Pioneer Hotel and Pioneer Theater after wildfires driven by high winds consumed much of the town in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, USA, August 10, 2023 be done. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources/
By Jonathan Allen, Brendan O’Brien
KIHEI, Hawaii (Reuters) – U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Dean Criswell on Sunday addressed the people of Lahaina as President Joe Biden visited a community on Maui destroyed Monday. He said it would reassure them that they had the power to decide how to rebuild.
Criswell said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program that the president and first lady will visit historic Hawaiian towns, meet with first responders, local officials and victims, and see the widespread devastation firsthand. Stated.
“He will be able to reassure the people of Maui that the federal government will support them, but we will allow them to rebuild the way they want to rebuild,” she said. .
Wildfires devoured the town of Lahaina on August 8, destroying 2,200 homes and businesses and leaving hundreds missing. As of Sunday morning, 114 people have been confirmed dead.
Criswell said Sunday in a separate interview on ABC’s “This Week” program that the search effort in the town of Lahaina is 78 percent complete and that the victims have received more than $8 million in federal aid. said there is.
Biden has come under fire from Republicans for not speaking publicly until five days after the tragedy struck. Criswell said he communicated in the days after the wildfires and helped Biden understand the scale of the situation and the resources needed.
“He directed me to ensure that we do everything we can to help the people of Maui and commit all federal resources to support this immediate response,” she said.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined pending the results of an official inquiry.
Other development:
– Details about the life of the deceased are beginning to emerge. A forensic pathologist, an x-ray technician, a fingerprint expert, and a forensic dentist work 12 hours a day for him to carry out the demanding task of identifying missing persons.
– Hundreds of people are already enrolled in schools outside the burn zone, making getting children back to school a challenge. When schools in Lahaina reopen, some will be traumatized and unable to attend, and some parents will choose to move rather than rebuild.
Wherever they go, school can be a step towards normalization for survivors in communities who are weighed down by the burden of mourning and wondering how to survive.
Biden on Friday approved additional federal aid to Hawaii, according to the White House.