Biden breaks silence on Hawaii wildfires, approves disaster relief: 'Really tough stuff'
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President Biden has authorized the federal government to deliver Hawaii "whatever it needs" for recovery efforts following devastating wildfires on Maui, he announced Tuesday.
Biden says he and First Lady Jill Biden plan to visit Hawaii as soon as possible, but he does not want his arrival to get in the way of recovery efforts.
"I've spoken to Governor Josh Green multiple times and reassured him that the state will have everything it needs from the federal government," Biden said. "I immediately approved the governor's request for an expedited major disaster declaration--that's a fancy word for saying whatever you need, you're gonna get."
"My wife Jill and I are gonna travel to Hawaii as soon as we can, and that's what I've been talking to the governor about. 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 they've got everything they needs, and I want to be sure we don't disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts," he added.
President Biden has authorized the federal government to deliver Hawaii "whatever it needs" for recovery efforts following devastating wildfires on Maui, he announced Tuesday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Biden, who spent the weekend at a beach in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, faced heavy criticism after he was asked by reporters about the rising Hawaiian death toll, which reached 99 as of Tuesday with hundreds more missing.
Bloomberg White House correspondent Justin Sink reported Sunday that Biden had nothing to say in response.
"After a couple hours on the Rehoboth beach, @potus was asked about the rising death toll in Hawaii ‘No comment,’ he said before heading home," Sink reported on Twitter.
Wildfire wreckage is seen Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green toured the destruction on Saturday, telling reporters that at least 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed in West Maui, of which 86% were residential.
Green said it would take "an incredible amount of time" to recover from the estimated $6 billion in damage across the island.
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As crews continue to search the rubble, officials say identifying the dead poses another challenge.
This photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources shows burnt areas in Lahaina on the Maui island, Hawaii, Friday, Aug. 11, 2023, following a wildfire. (Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources via AP) (Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources via AP)
At least two other fires have been burning on Maui – in south Maui’s Kihei area and in the mountainous, inland communities known as Upcountry – with no fatalities reported as of Tuesday.
Fox News' Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.