President Joe Biden vowed the country would stand by Maui “for as long as it takes” to rebuild and recover from the devastating wildfire that killed at least 114 people earlier this month, with hundreds still missing.
The president traveled to Hawaii on Monday after flames ripped through the historic town of Lahaina, leaving ruins and ash in its wake. The blaze is already the country’s deadliest wildfire in more than a century, but that number is expected to rise as rescue crews continue to comb through the debris.
“For as long as it takes, we’re going to be with you. The whole country will be with you,” Biden said at a news conference from Lahaina after an aerial tour of the town.
He spoke about the loss of his wife and daughter in a traffic accident in 1972, sharing how sudden tragedy had touched his own life.
“I know the feeling that many of the people in this town, that hollow feeling in your chest like you’re being sucked into a black hole,” Biden said. “It’s one thing to know, but it’s quite another thing to have to wait to wonder whether your family member is going to be OK.”
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More than a thousand people have been living in emergency shelters since the fire, although the Federal Emergency Management Agency said many had been moved into hotels or rentals as longer-term plans are set up. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said the situation on the ground was “actually worse” than it looked, adding that the recovery process hasn’t even begun yet.
“What you can’t see is the damage to utility infrastructure,” he told The Associated Press on Sunday. “What you can’t see is the thousands of kids who are trying to figure out how to go to school this fall. What you can’t see is the first responders who went into the flames without regard for their own safety and had their own homes burned down.”
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Lahaina was home to about 13,000 people. Officials have said the vast devastation will likely take years to recover from and that it will cost billions of dollars to rebuild. Residents have already expressed concern about that process, fearful they could be displaced by wealthy investors.
Biden pledged Monday, however, that the government would see the town rebuilt “the way the people of Maui want to build.”
“We’re going to get it done for you but get it done the way you want it done, not get it done somebody else’s way,” the president said at a community event later Monday. “I mean it.”