Biden To Lahaina: ‘The Entire Country Is Here For You’
The president visited the West Maui community, saying the federal government will do “whatever it takes, as long as it takes” to help.
President Joe Biden described the devastation in Lahaina as “overwhelming” on Monday as he and First Lady Jill Biden toured the charred remains of the historic, seaside town, leveled in the worst U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
The Aug. 8 inferno claimed at least 115 lives. Nearly two weeks later, at least 850 people are still missing.
In a speech at the Lahaina Civic Center after a tour of Lahaina’s fire-ravaged Front Street, the president told an audience of a few hundred people that “the entire country is here for you.”
In emotional remarks, Biden said his heart goes out to the people of Lahaina, a town of some 13,000 people before the fire.
“It aches for you,” he said.
But during his daylong trip on Maui, Biden said he witnessed extraordinary resilience. He said he’s been impressed at how residents look out for one another and described Lahaina, the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, as a community that will turn “pain into purpose.”
“This town has stood as a sacred spot for centuries. So much history. So much beauty,” he said.
The president stopped to meet with several Hawaiian elders while touring Lahaina’s Front Street with First Lady Jill Biden. He participated in a blessing with kupuna and community leaders that included Archie Kalepa, Kamana’opono Crabbe, Keaaumoku Kapu, Hokulani Holt-Padilla, Kumu Keola Chan, U‘ilani Kapu, Kaleikoa Kaeo, Kyle Nakanelua and Malina Kaulukukui.
Earlier in the visit to Lahaina, Biden and several Hawaii political leaders emphasized how they were there to listen to the community and provide the resources needed to rebuild Lahaina “the way you want it done,” as the president put it.
Lahaina faces a long road ahead as far as recovery and reconstruction but the nation stands behind its residents and “we’re not going to stop until it’s done,” Biden said during his speech at the civic center.
“There’s no quit in Hawaii. There’s no quit in America,” he said.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz told reporters later that the community’s frustration is understandable, and that it’s still in “disaster response mode” with an active search-and-recovery effort. But he said the next step is debris removal and cleanup, which will be incredibly expensive and involve the Environmental Protection Agency.
The federal funding response is two-pronged, Schatz said. It includes the $12 billion that the administration has already sought in its supplemental funding request for the Disaster Recovery Fund, which the Federal Emergency Management Agency relies on. And then a second piece that will be specific to Maui.
There’s no timeline on either, especially as the damage assessment remains underway, but Schatz said he hoped it would be done quickly and that historically such measures have passed Congress.
“We need federal resources for the long haul,” he said, adding that doesn’t mean he wants the federal government in charge of Maui County’s rebuilding efforts.
The president drew a metaphor between Lahaina and its famous 150-year-old banyan tree: “It burned. But it still stands.”
“One resident called it a diamond in the rough of hope. Another said, ‘fire cannot reach its roots,'” Biden said. “That’s you. That’s who you are. That’s Hawaii.”
The tree survived for a reason, Biden said.
“I believe it’s a powerful, a very powerful symbol of what we can and will do to get through this crisis,” he said.
Evoking the memory of the late Hawaii U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye during his civic center speech, Biden said, “Danny, I know you’re watching.”
He noted that Inouye helped him recover after his first wife and baby daughter were killed in a 1972 car crash.
“One of the people who helped me the most was Danny Inouye. He helped bring me back,” Biden said.
Biden and the first lady, along with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and an entourage of aides, arrived at Maui’s Kahului Airport shortly after 11 a.m. Monday, embarking on an aerial and sweltering foot tour of the devastation, a scene Biden later described as “carnage.”
Before his arrival, Secret Service agents and a bomb-sniffing dog searched the local press corps prior to three Osprey military helicopters along with Marine One and Two touching down on the runway.
Gov. Josh Green and his wife Jaime Kanani Green along with the state’s congressional delegation were on hand to greet the Bidens as they descended the steps of Air Force One.
Jill Biden gave an extended hug to Sen. Mazie Hirono as she stepped onto the tarmac, her blond hair blown sideways by feisty wind gusts.
After handshakes and hugs, Biden, in jeans and a blue sports jacket, walked toward Marine One, his arm around Green’s shoulders. Schatz and Rep. Jill Tokuda climbed aboard Marine One first with the president boarding last, two soldiers at attention saluting Biden as he entered the chopper.
The first lady and Hirono flew separately in Marine Two to the impact area.
Hirono briefly spoke with reporters beforehand.
“My hope and expectation is that there will be bipartisan support” for as much federal aid as needed by Maui fire survivors, Hirono said.
The White House has approved $8.2 million in assistance so far to over 2,700 households that suffered losses in the fire. That includes $3.4 million in initial rental assistance, according to the White House.
Biden announced on Monday that he has appointed as chief federal response coordinator for Maui to lead long-term recovery work.
Fenton is , based in Oakland, California. The president said he’s one of the nation’s most experienced disaster response and recovery experts.
“I’m directing him to make sure the community has everything — everything the federal government can offer to heal and to rebuild as fast as possible,” Biden said.
The governor underscored that while West Maui should only be accessed by returning residents and authorized emergency personnel, all the other areas of Maui and the state are open and safe.
“The mystique and love here — the aloha — is here for you,” Green said. “When you come, you will support our local economy and help speed the recovery of the people who are suffering right now.”
Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.
