MAUI (dpa-AFX) – After the devastating fires on Maui in the US state of Hawaii with well over a hundred dead, US President Joe Biden visited the disaster area. President and First Lady Jill Biden flew over the burned-out fire zone in a helicopter to get an aerial view of the destruction. Touring the ruins of the nearly devastated city of Lahaina, Biden met responders and survivors of the deadliest fires in the United States in more than 100 years.
The destruction was “overwhelming,” Biden said after visiting along burned-out Front Street in the heart of the once-quaint seaside town. Emerging from the charred backdrop was the more than 150-year-old banyan tree, a well-known Lahaina landmark. The tree is still standing, Biden said. This should be seen as a “very strong symbol” for overcoming this crisis. The President promised Maui residents and authorities to help rebuild the devastated areas.
During the nearly six-hour visit, Biden also attended a blessing ceremony with Lahaina elders. At times he wore one of the lei flower garlands typical of Hawaii. In a community center with hundreds of community members, Biden met those affected and helpers.
The number of dead after the fires on the island has now risen to at least 114, as the responsible district administration announced on Sunday. The number of victims could still rise, hundreds of people were still missing. Helpers continued to search the burned-out building with cadaver dogs.
Deanne Criswell, chief of the national disaster management agency FEMA, said that about 85 percent of the fire zone had been searched for victims. According to estimates, the search work could take another two weeks.
West Maui is still closed to tourists and visitors. Only emergency teams and local residents can enter the areas destroyed by the fire. Josh Green, Governor of Hawaii, appealed to vacationers to visit Hawaii at the meeting with Biden. Other parts of Maui and the rest of the islands are safe and accessible to visitors. The region needs tourism support to bounce back quickly, Green said.
The forest and bush fires broke out on August 8 in several places on Maui and the neighboring island of Hawaii, which bears the same name as the state. The authorities’ handling of the fire was heavily criticized. For example, no warning sirens were used at the beginning of the fire./nau/DP/stk