US President Biden to visit Hawaii next week as deadly wildfires claim 106 lives
US President Joe Biden and FLOTUS Jill Biden
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will visit Hawaii on August 21, where deadly wildfires have been wreaking havoc for over a week.
The White House in a statement said Biden will meet first responders, survivors and government officials to assess the damage and take stock of the situation.
So far, at least 106 people have lost their lives in the Hawaii wildfires, along with the destruction of much of the historic town of Lahaina.
White House statement
In a statement released Wednesday (August 16), the White House said, “The president continues to marshal a whole-of-government response to the deadly Maui fires, and he has committed to delivering everything that the people of Hawaii need from the federal government as they recover from this disaster.”
Earlier, Biden on Tuesday vowed to visit the archipelago at an event in Wisconsin. He said, “My wife Jill and I are going to travel to Hawaii as soon as we can.”
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Watch:Joe Biden to visit Hawaii to review recovery efforts as death toll crosses 100
“That’s what we’ve been talking to the governor about, but I don’t want to get in the way. I’ve been to too many disaster areas, but I want to go and make sure we’ve got everything they need. I want to be sure we don’t disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts,” he was quoted as saying by CNBC.
Death toll to rise
State governor Josh Green has warned that the final death toll from the Hawaii wildfires could rise up to two or three times its present level.
Earlier on Tuesday, Biden tried to justify why had not yet visited the crisis-hit region, while speaking to the media. He said he didn’t want to divert resources and attention from the humanitarian response.
"I don't want to get in the way. I've been to too many disaster areas," he said. "I want to be sure we don't disrupt ongoing recovery efforts," he was quoted as saying by BBC.
Loss pegged at $5.52bn
The Maui Emergency Management Agency has estimated the net loss to be around $5.52 billion.
Meanwhile, a lot of Hawaii residents have expressed their frustration with the ‘slow’ recovery efforts.
One resident was quoted by BBC as saying that he got only $500 from the authorities so far, which was even less than the price of a night in most hotel rooms on the island.
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