MADRID, 10 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has signed the formal declaration of disaster in the state of Hawaii to collaborate in the emergency derived from the wave of forest fires that began on Tuesday and which has already claimed at least 36 lives, although the local authorities assume that the balance of victims may increase in the next few hours.
The White House has explained that, among the first measures, temporary shelters and reconstruction aid will be offered, as well as assistance programs that also allow companies to “recover from the effects of the disaster.” The state government and also local administrations can now ask for more funds.
Biden has also spoken by phone with the Hawaiian governor, Josh Green, to let him know about the aid and personally express his condolences for the tragedy.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who has confirmed the mobilization at the federal level to help the authorities and inhabitants of Hawaii, has applauded the “heroic” work of the emergency services, while urging the residents of the affected areas to continue at all times the official recommendations “during this difficult time”.
The county of Maui has estimated the provisional death toll at 36, although the director of the state Emergency Agency, Adam Weintraub, has indicated this Thursday in statements to the ABC chain that not all burned areas have yet been reviewed and the flames keep advancing. “We are prepared for the worst,” he said, referring to the ongoing work to contain fires that are currently out of control.
