Key takeaways:
- President Biden and first lady Jill Biden are working to visit Hawaii as soon as possible to assess the damage and ensure the state has the resources it needs for recovery.
- The White House is having “active conversations” about when the Bidens can visit.
- President Biden noted that warning signs of the fires had been seen for hours before they began, and that some children and elderly people are still missing.
Hawaii is reeling from the devastating wildfires that have left at least 99 dead and destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui. President Joe Biden addressed the tragedy at the start of his economics speech in Milwaukee on Tuesday, detailing federal aid to Hawaii, including FEMA’s approvals for 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water and 10,000 blankets.
The president noted that he and first lady Jill Biden are working on traveling to Hawaii “as soon as we can” to assess the damage and ensure that the state has everything it needs for recovery. Deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton said earlier Tuesday that the White House was having “active conversations” about when the Bidens could visit.
“The deadliest wildfire in more than a hundred years,” Mr. Biden said Tuesday at the event in Milwaukee. “Imagine being a husband or wife or mother or father.” He added that he has been talking about potential travels with Hawaii’s Gov. Josh Green.
The president also noted that warning signs of the fires had been seen for hours before they began, and that some children and elderly people are still missing. He said he wanted to be sure that his visit would not disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts.
“I want to go and make sure we got everything they need,” he said.
The state of Hawaii is now facing the grim task of recovering from the worst wildfire in more than a hundred years. President Biden and first lady Jill Biden are working to visit the state as soon as possible to assess the damage and ensure that the state has the resources it needs for recovery.
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