San Francisco mayor London Breed was one of thousands of tourists who had to be evacuated from the Hawaiian island of Maui as wildfires swept through the vacation hotspot.
Breed, 49, took a break from running her crime-ridden city this week when wildfires hit, prompting her to flee to Honolulu. Politics reports.
The mayor has not spoken publicly about the wildfires and her office did not immediately respond to questions about her whereabouts when DailyMail.com contacted her.
Her ill-timed vacation comes while she’s in the middle of a bitter re-election battle, and some voters may question her absence at a time when San Francisco is awash with homelessness, crime and open-air drug use.
San Francisco mayor London Breed was among thousands to be evacuated due to the wildfires in Hawaii. Pictured is her speaking in San Francisco, Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Holidaymakers were stranded on Tuesday when the wildfires broke out
Officials said at least 56 people died in the inferno and warned the number could ‘rise significantly’ in the coming days
After the wildfires fanned out Tuesday, some 4,000 tourists — reportedly including Breed — were left stranded on Maui.
The wildfires erupted after drought-like conditions combined with high temperatures turned Hawaii into a tinderbox, with high winds from Hurricane Dora fanning the flames.
On Wednesday, officials cautiously said at least 36 people died in the blaze. The figure was updated to 53 on Thursday by Hawaii Governor Josh Green, who warned the number could “rise significantly” in the coming days.
Stunning images from a helicopter pilot revealed the extent of destruction over the town of Lahiana, which has been ravaged by wildfires since they started on Tuesday.
Officials said about 80 percent of the city’s fires were under control Thursday night, but many residents are left without power or running water.
As the fires raged on Wednesday, locals in Lahiana had also created a spreadsheet to track the high number of people missing after the fires also knocked out cell service in the area.
On Wednesday, August 9, 2023, a wildfire rages in Kihei, Hawaii. Tourists rushed to escape the fires as they will become one of the deadliest wildfires in the US in recent years
CH47 Chinook helicopters of the Hawaii Army National Guard deliver water buckets from the air on the island of Maui to help fight wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, August 9, 2023
Lahaina nearly wiped off the map after 271 buildings burned to the ground in fierce wildfires
After hearing reports that her home was destroyed along with her pets, Steff Baku-Kirkman reacts after wildfires caused by high winds reportedly destroyed much of the historic city of Lahaina
The crisis has also raised concerns about Hawaii’s tourism-dependent economy, which has shown signs of life this year after the pandemic.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority – an increase of six percent compared to the same period last year.
At the height of the pandemic in 2020, the number of tourists on the island plummeted to just 793,000.
In 2021, about 2.3 million tourists flocked to the island, and in 2022, numbers nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels as 2.9 million people moved to the state.
But just as the state was turning its fortunes, it was devastated by the wildfires that Green said he feared could lead to more than a billion dollars in structural damage.
President Biden addressed Hawaii’s fight to stop the wildfires on Thursday, saying he would “put help in the hands of the people who need urgent help right now.”
President Biden spoke in a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday about Hawaii’s ongoing fight to contain the fires.
“We just passed a Major Disaster Declaration for Hawaii, putting aid in the hands of the people who urgently need it now,” he said.
“I have directed that we have these brave firefighters, first responders and emergency responders working around the clock to risk their lives.
“I just put the phone down before coming here for a long talk with Governor Josh Green this morning, (I) let him know I’m going to make sure the state has everything it needs from the federal government to recover.
“FEMA is sending disaster relief personnel to the island and they are not going to help survivors access federal aid.
“We are working as quickly as possible to fight these fires and to evacuate residents and tourists. Meanwhile, our prayers are with the people of Hawaii, but not just our prayers.
“Every asset we have will be available to them. They have seen their homes destroyed, their businesses destroyed, and some lost loved ones. And it’s not over yet.’