Aviva Fried with AFP / Photo credit: YUKI IWAMURA / AFP
Joe Biden is expected Monday in Hawaii after the catastrophic fires that killed more than a hundred people two weeks ago on the island of Maui, where search operations continue, in a context of criticism of the management of the drama by the authorities. Few details were released on the timing of his visit, but the president will meet with families, emergency workers and local officials, the White House said. He will be accompanied by his wife Jill Biden.
A visit that comes after strong criticism
“He will be able to witness the consequences” of these fires, and “feel the desolation in this community”, declared Sunday on CNN Deanne Criswell, boss of the federal agency in charge of the response to natural disasters (Fema). “He will be able to reassure the people of Maui that the federal government is here to support them.”
The visit comes after strong criticism from Republican officials, who said the president had remained too silent in the face of the scale of the disaster. He did not speak publicly when the toll rose considerably. The White House, for its part, stressed that Joe Biden had remained in “close contact” with the governor of Hawaii, Democrat Josh Green, and had received regular information on the situation.
The president had quickly declared a state of natural disaster in Hawaii, allowing the deployment of emergency aid resources from the federal state. More than 1,000 federal employees are present in Maui, and some 50,000 meals have been distributed by Fema, the executive said. But criticism also relates to the response of local authorities. The presidential visit will take place just days after the resignation of the head of the Maui crisis management agency, accused of not having sounded the alarm sirens during the deadly fire that ravaged the town of Lahaina (12,000 inhabitants), on the west coast of the island. Taken aback, some residents had thrown themselves into the sea to escape the flames.
“Lahaina is not for sale”
In Lahaina precisely, residents, who have lost everything, have been contacted by real estate developers who offer to buy back their land. This is part of the tactic of these promoters who hope to take advantage of the confusion to make a good deal. But the residents do not want to let it go. They have taken to social media to make their hateful voices heard. “Lahaina is not for sale. I repeat, Lahaina is not for sale. If you are an investor trying to grab Lahaina land, we will make sure that doesn’t happen.”
The issue is particularly sensitive in Hawaii where the price of housing and the cost of living in general are the most expensive in the United States. More and more inhabitants are forced to leave the archipelago, giving way to hotels or second homes. To prevent this from happening in Lahaina, Hawaii Governor Josh Green wants a moratorium on land sales. “You can be sure that I will not allow anyone to build new buildings if people have been abused. The reconstruction will be for the people of the island,” he said.
It remains to be seen whether the state will be able to keep this promise when Maui’s main income is tourism and the losses and loss of income could cost the archipelago nearly $15 billion.
114 deaths
For the moment, 114 deaths have been confirmed in Hawaii, the deadliest fire in more than a century in the United States. And the final balance sheet could be much heavier. Some 1,000 people are still missing.