Hawaii fire is already the second-deadliest US wildfire in the last century, data shows
Daniel Foster President Joe Biden has approved a disaster declaration for Hawaii and “ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires,” according to the White House.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help with recovery from the fires.
“Our prayers are with the people of Hawaii, but not just our prayers, every asset we have will be available to them," Biden said at a veteran's event in Utah on Thursday. "They’ve seen their homes, their businesses destroyed and some have lost loved ones and it’s not over yet.”
He asserted that anyone who needs and is eligible for assistance will get help "immediately."
Earlier Thursday, the White House said the administration is “working very closely with Hawaii” as the state struggles with devastating wildfires that have left dozens of people dead.
“We're also deploying some military assets, FEMA personnel on the ground,” National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told CNN. “We're going to focus on this as keenly and as sharply as we can.”
Biden said he ordered all available federal assets on the island to assist local crews to fight fires and evacuate residents and tourists.
A White House official told CNN that Hawaii has also asked for shelter supplies from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including water, food, cots and blankets. FEMA Region 9 Administrator Bob Fenton and his team are in Oahu, and he has deployed a specialized rapid-response team to help with federal relief efforts, the official added.