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

A Maui wildfire victim has tearfully criticized the lack of help for those affected by the wildfires on the Hawaiian island and questioned why President Joe Biden still hasn’t come.

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

But Tacderan added: “Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are now when it comes to mental health, as well as our survival mode…

“My parents got a check for $700 which was a slap in the face. This $700 was given by the government and I feel that is not enough. Living in Hawaii, everything is so expensive. Groceries can cost up to $700 for just one grocery store.

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

An aerial view of Lahaina shows the scale of destruction caused by the wildfires in Hawaii

In the CNN interview, she added, “Aren’t we Americans too?” We are part of the United States, but why are we put in the back pocket? Why are we ignored?

She said families were being turned away because applications hadn’t been approved or were still pending.

The president has faced accusations of a lackluster response to the tragedy. He also came under fire after appearing to forget Maui’s name during recent remarks about the fires, calling him “the one you see on TV all the time”.

The head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, Chief Herman Andaya, resigned Thursday night, citing “health reasons.” It comes a day after he faced a fierce backlash saying he had no regrets not activating the warning sirens as the wildfire swept through the island.

Biden promised to offer assistance to Maui “for as long as it takes” before his trip to the island where devastating wildfires have killed at least 111 people.

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

The wildfire that erupted Aug. 8 in the city of Lahaina is now the deadliest in more than a century and the fifth deadliest on record in the United States.

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

He noted that the federal government had already taken steps to send hundreds of emergency personnel and thousands of meals and supplies to the blaze-torn 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 he would be here Monday.

Some 2,200 buildings were decimated by the inferno and around 1,300 people are still missing.

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

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

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

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

Search operations for wildfire damaged areas in the town of Lahaina destroyed during the Maui wildfires in Lahaina, Maui on August 15

A member of the National Guard walks through a charred neighborhood following the Maui Wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, August 16

Some 2,200 buildings were decimated by the fire

‘I campaigned for you,’ former Hawaii lawmaker Kaniela Ing said Monday on X. ‘Now, as I lose dozens of my friends, family and neighbors. This?’

Biden will travel to Maui from Lake Tahoe – where he arrives Friday for a vacation. The president had originally planned to spend six days at the posh Nevada vacation spot, but chose to cut the trip short amid criticism.

More than 3,000 people have registered for federal aid, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and that number is expected to rise.

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

The Biden administration is also seeking an additional $12 billion for the government’s disaster relief fund, as part of its request for additional funding from Congress.

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

“President Biden completely ignored the people of eastern Palestine. Now he gives Maui residents the same treatment,’ Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Burned out cars are seen on Wahikuli Terrace in Lahaina on Tuesday

An aerial view of Lahaina shows the scale of destruction caused by the wildfires in Hawaii

A fire started by a downed power line on the morning of Tuesday August 8 is believed to have escalated into the blaze that destroyed Lahaina. Authorities initially brought the blaze under control, but an outbreak quickly spread

“Hey, maybe if we change the name from Maui to Ukraine, maybe they’ll pay attention to us,” former Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said, arguing that a one-time payment of $700 dollars pales in comparison to the tens of billions the United States has spent defending Ukraine against Russia.

Meanwhile, the Maui County Emergency Management Agency also came under attack for its response to the fire and the way citizens were alerted to the danger.

Prior to his departure, agency administrator Herman Andaya defended the department’s decision not to sound Lahaina’s alarm system, arguing that alarms are typically used for tsunamis and citizens would have been trained to run for the hills – from where the fire was approaching.

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 role as quickly as possible and I look forward to making this announcement soon,” Bissen said.