Washington.- The president of United States, Joe Bidenannounced this Tuesday that he will travel to Hawaii “as soon as possible” to assess the damage caused by the fires on the island of Maui, which have claimed the lives of at least 99 people.
“My wife Jill and I will travel to Hawaii as soon as possible,” Biden said at the start of a speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The president stressed that his intention is not to interfere with the rescue operations due to the usual security measures that his presence entails, which include blocking streets to traffic for hours.
“I don’t want to be in the middle. I have been to many disaster zones before. However, I want to go and make sure they have everything they need. I want to make sure we don’t disrupt ongoing rescue efforts,” Biden said.
Biden has faced criticism for his response to the fires, especially for his response with the phrase “no comment” when asked by the press this weekend about the deaths in the fires while he was in the maritime town of Rehoboth, Delaware.
The president also ignored the press when asked about the fires on Monday upon his return to the White House.
Former President Donald Trump (2017-2021), favorite in the Republican Party to face Biden again in the 2024 elections, took advantage of the expression “no comment” to criticize the current president for “(refusing) to provide help or comment on the tragedy”, describing the moment as “horrible and unacceptable”.
Despite this, the White House has defended Biden’s response, ensuring that he has been constantly informed and in contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate the response to the disaster.
Additionally, on August 10, Biden issued a disaster declaration in Hawaii to ensure that the state received all necessary assistance.
Hawaii authorities are currently working on identifying the 99 deceased and may release some of their names as early as Tuesday.
This disaster has marked the deadliest fire in the United States in the last century, and hundreds of people are still missing.
