Tearful Maui resident demands to know why President Joe Biden hasn’t visited after wildfires

A victim of the Maui wildfires has tearfully criticized the lack of aid for people affected by wildfires on the Hawaiian island and questioned why President Joe Biden has still not shown up.

Ella Sable Tacderan is currently hosting 23 family members in her home after many were displaced by the fires. She said “the community is a big part of my family’s survival,” referring to the heroic work of the locals to support each other in the aftermath of the devastation.

But Tacderan added: “Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today in terms of common sense, as well as our survival mode…

“My parents received a check for $700, which was a slap in the face. This $700 was given by the government and I feel like it’s not enough. Living in Hawaii, everything is so expensive. Groceries can run up to $700 for just one grocery run.

‘And it’s not enough. And right now, the Maui community is helping the Maui community. And it really touched me, because where is the president?’

In the CNN interview, she added, “Shouldn’t we Americans do the same? We are part of the United States, but why are we being put in the back pocket? Why are we being ignored?’

She said families were turned down for help because applications have not been approved or are still pending.

The president has been accused of a lackluster response to the tragedy. He also faced criticism after appearing to forget the name Maui during recent comments about the fires, referring to “the one you see on television all the time.”

The head of Maui’s Emergency Management Agency, Chief Herman Andaya, resigned Thursday evening citing “health reasons.” It comes a day after he faced fierce backlash saying he didn’t regret not activating the warning sirens as the wildfire swept across the island.

Biden has pledged to provide assistance to Maui “as long as it takes” ahead of his trip to the island where devastating wildfires have claimed at least 111 deaths.

“The whole nation is with you as you recover, rebuild and grieve,” Biden said in a taped message given to Good Morning America on Thursday.

The wildfire that broke out in the city of Lahaina on August 8 is now the deadliest in more than a century and the fifth deadliest on record for the US.

“We will be with you as long as it takes, I promise you,” the president added.

He noted that the federal government has already taken action to send hundreds of emergency workers and thousands of meals and supplies to the flame-ravaged tourist town.

Hours later, a reporter asked Biden at the White House, “Can you tell us about your trip to Hawaii?”

“No, not now,” Biden said, adding that he would be there Monday.

About 2,200 buildings were destroyed by the inferno and about 1,300 people are still missing.

Crews are expected to continue to search the charred debris and have deployed cadaver dogs to search for survivors.

The president will travel to Maui with First Lady Jill on Monday. He was criticized by Republicans for not addressing the crisis sooner.

When the president was first asked about the blaze on Sunday, he told a reporter “no comment” as he lounged on the beach near his Delaware vacation home.

The “no comment” comment sparked outrage from even some of his Democratic allies.

“I campaigned for you,” Kaniela Ing, former Hawaii legislator, said Monday on X. “Now, when I lose dozens of my friends, family and neighbors. This?’

Biden will fly from Lake Tahoe to Maui — arriving Friday for a vacation. The president originally planned to spend six days at the posh Nevada vacation spot, but chose to cut the trip short due to criticism.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, more than 3,000 people have applied for federal assistance and that number is expected to grow.

FEMA is providing $700 to displaced residents to cover the costs of food, water, first aid and medical supplies, in addition to qualifying coverage for the loss of homes and personal property.

The Biden administration is also seeking $12 billion more for the administration’s emergency relief fund, as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress.

Before Biden announced his visit, Republicans compared it to his failure to visit eastern Palestine, Ohio — where a train derailed and spilled toxic chemicals, displacing hundreds of people. Biden had promised to visit the Ohio city, but never did.

President Biden completely ignored the people of eastern Palestine. Now he is giving the people of Maui the same treatment,” wrote Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on X, formerly Twitter.

“Hey, maybe if we change Maui’s name to Ukraine, maybe they’ll pay attention to us,” said former Democratic Hawaii representative Tulsi Gabbard, who argued that a $700 one-time payment pales in comparison to the tens of billions the US spent on defending Ukraine from Russia.

Meanwhile, the Maui County Emergency Management Agency has also come under attack for its response to the fire and how citizens were warned of the danger.

Before his departure, agency administrator Herman Andaya defended the department’s decision not to set off Lahaina’s alarm system, arguing that the alarms are typically used for tsunamis and that civilians would have been trained to go to the hills. run – where the fire came from.

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a statement Thursday that he had accepted Andaya’s resignation.

“Given the severity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I will place someone in this key position as soon as possible and I look forward to making that announcement soon,” Bissen said.