Biden pledges U.S. support for Maui through wildfire recovery

investing.com:

By Jonathan Allen

LAHAINA, Hawaii (Reuters) — President Joe Biden vowed on Thursday that the U.S. federal government would remain committed to the people of Maui as they recover, rebuild and grieve in the wake of wildfires that destroyed the town of Lahaina and killed at least 110 people.

In a brief video aired on ABC's Good Morning America, the president said the U.S. government has already taken immediate action, sending hundreds of emergency personnel, thousands of meals and supplies to the devastated tourist resort town where some 2,200 buildings were destroyed.

«We will be with you for as long as it takes, I promise you,» he said. «Already from the darkness and the smoke and the ash, we see the light of hope and strength.»

During his remarks, Biden highlighted the efforts of first responders — many of whom have been personally affected by the wildfires. Local first responders have worked around the clock searching for the missing, while volunteers deliver aid by fishing boats and local chefs prepare meals for displaced families, he noted.

Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Hawaii on Monday to survey the devastation and meet with first responders, survivors and federal, state and local officials.

«I want the people of Hawaii to know that your country is with you as long as it takes,» he said.

In other developments:

— Maui County Emergency Management Agency administrator Herman Andaya defended the department's decision not to sound sirens during last week's deadly wildfire as questions intensify regarding how residents were alerted to growing threat as the deadly wildfires spread last Tuesday.

Andaya said sirens in Hawaii are used to alert people to tsunamis. Using it during the fire might have led