President Biden
participates in a phone call aboard Air Force One on August 15,
2023. Photo courtesy of the White House.
BRIEFING ROOM
President Biden Provides an Update on the Federal Response to Hawai
i Wildfires
As federal emergency response and recovery efforts continue in
Hawai i, we are grateful for your continued engagement,partnership,
and outpouring of support.
President Joe Biden spoke today with Hawai i Governor Josh Green
and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne
Criswell, and provided an update on the whole-of-government effort
underway to address the devastating wildfires on Maui. The Biden-Harris
Administration is working around the clock to help Hawai i recover,
and we plan to continue sharing additional information in the coming
days and weeks.
President Biden delivers remarks on the federal emergency response
to the Hawai i wildfires. Watch here.
Statement from WHIAANHPI Co-Chair Katherine Tai regarding the
wildfires on Maui. Read more.
HHS Secretary and WHIAANHPI Co-Chair Xavier Becerra declares public
health emergency for Hawai i in response to wildfires. Read more.
How to help — Resources to amplify:
A message to Hawai‘i residents from WHIAANHPI Executive Director
Krystal Ka‘ai. Watch here.
Upcoming event: FEMA will host a national partner call on August
16, 2023, at 2pm ET that will include operational updates from NGOs.
Register here.
FEMA has provided a toolkit of resources to help get recovery
information into the hands of Maui wildfire survivors. Please use it
to amplify credible messages and share this resource with your
communities. Read more.
For additional FEMA information on the Maui wildfires, read more
here.
The Federal Communications Commission is providing daily reports on
the operational status of communications in West Maui. Visit fcc.gov/HawaiiWildfires.
Homeowners, renters, nonprofits, and small business owners can
apply for Small Business Association disaster loans here. For help
with your application, call 1-800-659-2955 or email
disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
See advice from the Federal Trade Commission to help you spot,
avoid, and report disaster-related scams. Read more.
Make sure your donations go to help people in need, not charity
scammers. Here's what to look out for. Read more.
ACROSS THE ADMINISTRATION
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue staff in Hawaii. Photo courtesy of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FACT SHEET
The Biden- Harris Administration’s Response to the Maui Wildfires
The Biden-Harris Administration has mobilized a robust
whole-of-government response effort to support immediate and
long-term rescue and recovery efforts in Maui, Hawaii. Since the
onset of the horrific fires in Maui, dozens of Federal departments
and agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security through
FEMA and the Coast Guard, the Department of Defense through the Navy
and Army, the Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S.
Forest Service, and the Small Business Administration (SBA) have
been working with state and local partners on the ground to assess
ongoing needs and providing resources and personnel to support
response efforts.
Last Thursday, within hours of the devastating fires, President
Biden signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Hawai i, and as
President Biden told Governor Josh Green, the Federal Government
stands ready to provide additional assistance to ensure the state
recovers. This weekend, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, U.S.
Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell and U.S. Small Business
Administration Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman surveyed
catastrophic damage on the island and hosted a local press
conference to reiterate the Administration’s commitment to
supporting impacted communities, however long it may take.
The Administration continues to encourage individuals impacted by
the disaster to register for Federal assistance at
www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.
More on the coordinated federal response:
There are almost 500 Federal personnel deployed to Maui to assist
residents in their greatest time of need.
In the immediate aftermath of the fires, the U.S. Coast Guard and
U.S. Navy supported maritime search and rescue operations, and U.S.
Army helicopters supported fire suppression efforts on the Big
Island.
As fire containment efforts continue, FEMA and its Federal partners
continue response efforts. FEMA has deployed more than 140 Urban
Search and Rescue personnel who have integrated with the Maui Fire
Department to help conduct rescue operations.
In Maui, FEMA has provided 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water,
5,000 cots and 10,000 blankets and shelter supplies to the county
government for distribution.
FEMA has also authorized Critical Needs Assistance (CNA) which
provides a onetime payment of $700 per household to applicants who
were displaced from their homes and have critical needs. CNA
provides for lifesaving and life-sustaining items such as water,
food, prescriptions, personal hygiene items, and fuel for
transportation.
The Small Business Administration has dozens of staff on the island
and has begun making low-interest Federal disaster loans available
to Hawai i businesses, homeowners, renters, and nonprofits.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service
approved Hawai i’s request for impacted Child Nutrition Programs and
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
The American Red Cross and Maui County continue to staff and support
six shelters where food, water, hygiene kits and other essential
resources are provided to survivors who are unable to return home.
FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Team members are deploying to
shelters and helping people register for Federal assistance. Those
affected by the fires may visit a Red Cross shelter to get a hot
meal, charge their phone and access other essential support.
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra
approved a Public Health Emergency effective retroactively from
August 8 through November 6, 2023.
In addition, 17 specialists from the Department of Health and Human
Services’ Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team are on Maui,
with additional teams en route to assist the state.
Local and national Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs)
are providing emergency assistance to survivors. Those seeking to
donate to the recovery efforts, can do so by visiting
www.hawaiistatevoad.org.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is helping clear roads,
stabilizing electric service and working with the Environmental
Protection Agency on the removal of hazardous waste essential to
recovery work in the affected areas.
The U.S. Forest Service Incident Management Teams and Wildfire
Liaisons integrated with the State to help identify resources,
equipment, and additional personnel needed to fully extinguish the
fires and prevent flare-ups.
The U.S. Fire Administration is also working with local fire
departments to identify what support is needed for firefighting
personnel and their families who were also affected by this
disaster, as they continue to heroically battle these blazes.
The Department of Defense, through U.S. INDOPACOM, is actively
supporting the Federal response by helping move supplies across the
State and is providing assistance with fire suppression activities.
U.S. INDOPACOM is also taking actions to move their response command
and control personnel forward to the island of Maui.
|
.jpg)
