On the one-year anniversary of the deadly Maui wildfires, President Joe Biden reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring the long-term recovery of survivors and affected communities.
“My Administration will be right there alongside you to help you rebuild,” Biden wrote in an open letter to wildfire survivors released on Thursday. “Together, we have made tremendous progress this last year but we have a lot more to do. Your traditions and the voices of those who have called the island home for generations will continue to guide the work ahead, and we will remain focused on supporting your ongoing recovery.”
Biden noted the $3 billion in federal support so far invested in response, recovery and rebuilding efforts and said the federal government is further invested in working to enhance the state’s long-term resilience to natural disasters.
In his letter, the president recalled the visit he and first lady Jill Biden made to Lahaina in the aftermath of the fires and referenced the leveled town’s most famous landmark.
“Nearly one year ago, Jill and I stood with the people of Maui, the air thick from the devastating fires that tore through the communities of Lahaina and Kula,” he wrote. “We said a silent prayer before your beloved banyan tree, which had been charred by the flames but was still clinging to life. That sacred tree still stands today. Its new growth reflects the strength and resilience of your community.”
To date, the federal government has provided nearly $385 million in assistance to individuals and households for response and recovery efforts, including nearly $300 million to house displaced survivors. Another $500 million was allocated for debris removal, infrastructure rebuilding and other emergency protective measures.
To support future funding needs, Biden repeated his appeal to Congress to pass his domestic supplemental funding request, which includes funding for disaster recovery and long-term housing. Over the last two weeks, members of Hawaii’s Congressional delegation issued their own individual messages of support for the measure.
Other federal initiatives, undertaken with state and county coordination, include moving displace survivors from temporary shelters to longer-term housing; changing Department of Housing and Urban Development loan programs and extending foreclosures moratoriums to better assist wildfire survivors; constructing long-term housing; removing debris from the disaster site; establishing a temporary campus for displaced King Kamehameha Elementary School students; and improving resilience with the deployment of wildfire sensors, restoring native ecosystems, and funding initiatives aimed at responding to heat, drought, flooding, sea-level rise, wildfires and other climate-related threats.
Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell and U.S. Fire administrator Lori Moore Merrell are on Maui this week to commemorate the anniversary of the wildfires and observe ongoing recovery efforts.
“As we remember the tremendous loss and devastation caused by the wildfires, we must also honor the courage and kindness that emerged in the darkest of moments,” Biden wrote. “The first responders who risked their lives to save friends and neighbors, not knowing if their own families had reached safe harbor or if their homes were still standing. The neighbors who offered survivors a safe and supportive refuge. The children of Lahaina returning to school together in their community. And the outpouring of support for the people of Maui from your fellow Americans — and from the global community — to help you recover and rebuild.
“Jill and I will be forever moved by our visit to your island,” he concluded. “We continue to hold the people of Maui in our hearts and prayers. Our most fervent wish is that you continue to move forward and heal together, becoming stronger than ever by persevering as a united community.”
Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.
