On a Tuesday morning in August, a memo landed on President Joe Biden’s desk warning of the possibility of a storm hitting Hawaii.
Hours later, the islands were dealing with a different crisis: A wildfire. After the fires began, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients immediately briefed the president on what became a rapidly evolving situation, according to White House officials.
“You always hear this phrase – and I’ve been to so many disasters in my career, it’s almost hollow – but our prayers, our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Hawaii. But not just our prayers: Every asset, every asset they need will be there for them.
“As we were watching the fires that were starting, and we were issuing the Fire Management Assistance Grants, which is one of the first things we do with fires like this, our team that is already on the island immediately started to integrate in with the state staff,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN.
There are more than 600 federal personnel on the ground in Maui coordinating ongoing disaster efforts. The administration has also provided thousands of meals, liters of water, blankets and cots. FEMA has also provided more than $2.3 million in assistance, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Biden also approved a full reimbursement to Hawaii for 30 days’ worth of emergency services.
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