President Joe Biden and the First Lady are making plans to visit Maui following the devastating wildfires that recently ravished the area. The announcement of the trip was made after several complaints from Republicans that Biden had failed to mention the disaster in Maui for four days were made.
It is unknown whether Biden made plans to visit this popular Hawaiian city after being criticized for failing to speak about the disasters for longer than others felt was acceptable, and for using the wrong name to refer to the city.
President Biden and the first lady planned to visit the sites where the wildfires occurred, but the president was adamant about not wanting to get in the way of recovery efforts. This visit will occur on Monday, August 21st.
This date was chosen for the president’s and first lady’s visit because the governor, Josh Green, reports that the search and recovery mission should be at a point by then where such a visit is possible.
The president reports that he has already visited many other areas that have experienced disasters.
It has been a bit more than a week since the lethal fires decimated the area, and search and rescue crews are still hard at work searching for remains.
The wildfires were brutal, and as of today, the remains of 106 bodies have been found, and not many have yet been identified. This number is expected to double before the recovery mission is complete.
The president’s visit aims to ensure that everyone has access to the assistance they need. This includes the recovery officials as well as displaced residents.
According to White House officials, close to 500 federal personnel have been deployed to Maui. FEMA has supplied the area with 75,000 liters of water, 5,000 cots, 10,000 blankets/shelter supplies, and 50,000 meals.
During a conference, the president stated that he could only imagine how difficult it would be to be a parent and not know where your child was.