President Joe Biden would not comment on the deadly wildfires in Maui that left at least 96 people dead and more unaccounted for.
During a bike ride on Sunday, the president gave a similar answer when asked about the wildfires. “We’re looking at it,” he said, it was reported.
Last week, President Biden declared a major disaster in Maui, promising federal aid to the fire-hit island. The White House also said the disaster order would enable federal funding to become available to impacted people in Maui County.
“We’re working as quickly as possible to fight those fires and evacuate residents and tourists. In the meantime, our prayers are with the people of Hawaii, but not just our prayers: every asset that we have will be available to them,” President Biden said during an event in Salt Lake City, Utah.
After the president’s “no comment” remarks, some commentators and former officials were quick to criticize him. Some compared his response Sunday to his response to the toxic spill following a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this year, for which he and federal officials also faced backlash.
Other Updates
On Monday, Hawaii’s governor warned that scores more people could be found dead following ferocious wildfires on Maui, as search and rescue crews scoured neighborhoods street by street and prepared to comb through buildings charred by flames that galloped a mile a minute. The blazes, which consumed most of the historic town of Lahaina, are already the deadliest in the United States in more than a century, with a toll of 96.Two fires have not yet been completely contained, according to an update from Maui County late Sunday.
“We are prepared for many tragic stories,” Gov. Josh Green told “CBS Mornings” in a recorded interview that was aired Monday. “They will find 10 to 20 people per day, probably, until they finish. And it’s probably going to take 10 days. It’s impossible to guess, really.” As cell phone service has slowly been restored, Mr. Green said that the number of people missing dropped to about 1,300 from over 2,000.
The blaze that swept into centuries-old Lahaina nearly a week ago destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000, leaving a grid of gray rubble wedged between the blue ocean and lush green slopes. That fire has been 85 percent contained, according to the county, while the Upcountry fire has been 60 percent contained.
“There’s very little left there,” Green said about Lahaina in a video update Sunday, adding that “an estimated value of $5.6 billion has gone away.”
The cause of the wildfires is under investigation, and Mr. Green said authorities would also examine their response. One fire, for instance, was thought to be out but later flared again. Before the blaze engulfed Lahaina, Maui County officials also failed to activate sirens that would have warned the entire population and instead relied on social media posts.
At the same time, Hawaii officials urged tourists to avoid traveling to Maui as many hotels prepared to house evacuees and first responders. Green said 500 hotel rooms will be made available for locals who have been displaced. An additional 500 rooms will be set aside for workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some hotels will carry on with normal business to help preserve jobs and sustain the local economy, Green said.
