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President Biden interrupted another summer vacation Monday to visit Maui in the Hawaiian Islands, where wildfires killed at least 114 people in Lahaina and left more than 800 people still missing.
Among the survivors, some were simmering with disgust at the president.
Mr. Biden was greeted by angry residents holding signs accusing him of ignoring the crisis for nearly two weeks. Their signs included: “Actions speak louder than words,” “Traitor Joe Must Go,” “Trump won” and “You’re too late!”
After touring the burned-out region by helicopter, the president pledged to respect local “sacred traditions” in the eventual rebuilding effort.
“It’s going to be hard,” Mr. Biden said. “The devastation is overwhelming. The country grieves with you, stands with you. To the people of Hawaii, we’re with you for as long as it takes, I promise you.”
He vowed, “We’re gonna rebuild the way the people of Maui want to build.”
Mr. Biden and first lady Jill Biden flew to the devastated seaside town from Lake Tahoe, Nevada, a high-end playground where they’re spending a week at the $18 million home of billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer. The White House said the Bidens are renting the lakeside home in the gated community for “fair market value.”
In Maui, the president also met with federal, state and local officials and spoke with survivors and first responders.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said the government has distributed more than $8.5 million to Maui residents, including $3.6 million in direct rental assistance for 8,000 registered families.
She said more than 1,000 federal responders remain on the ground from multiple agencies, and close to 2,000 residents have been moved into hotel rooms.
FEMA said 85% of the impacted zone has been searched and the remaining 15% includes “several multistory, multifamily dwellings” after the search started with single-story structures.
Ms. Criswell said schools were destroyed by the fire, so the governor must decide whether to move students to other schools or bring in temporary school facilities.
“We’ll work with the governor on what he wants,” she said.
The Republican National Committee said Mr. Biden’s visit to Lahaina is “too little, too late,” coming nearly two weeks after the fire struck.
“Meanwhile, federal officials have no idea what the death toll is with 1,000 still missing — as the state’s Democrat officials squabble over climate change,” the RNC said.
White House principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton said Mr. Biden is committed to helping Maui “as long as it takes.”
Ms. Dalton pushed back on criticism of the response, noting Mr. Biden’s swift signature on a disaster declaration.
She said Mr. Biden will appoint Bob Fenton, the FEMA Region 9 administrator, as the chief federal response coordinator to oversee long-term recovery efforts in Maui.
“This president has been engaged, has been committed,” Ms. Dalton said.
The White House said Mr. Biden also authorized grants to assist firefighting efforts in Washington state and directed supplies to California, given Hurricane Hilary’s intense rain, as he flew to Hawaii to survey the destruction from the earlier disaster.
The president arrived in Tahoe on Friday after concluding a summit at Camp David with the leaders of Japan and South Korea.
Among the family members staying at the Steyer home are presidential son Hunter Biden; his wife, Melissa Cohen; and their son, Beau. The family vacation comes one week after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss, the federal prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden, as a special counsel to continue the probe after a plea deal on tax and gun charges fell apart.
The Bidens were vacationing at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, when the scope of the Maui disaster became clear. Mr. Biden was criticized for responding “no comment” to reporters who had asked about the death toll.
Mr. Steyer ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 but dropped out of the race after coming in third in South Carolina’s primary, which Mr. Biden won.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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