WASHINGTON -- FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell joined President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden in Hawaii to survey wildfire damage on Maui, speak to affected residents about their losses, commend emergency responders for their efforts and announce new steps toward recovery.
While in Hawaii, President Biden and the First Lady participated in a community event with leaders, survivors, families and organizations following the devastating wildfires on Maui. The President also announced the appointment of FEMA Region 9 Administrator Bob Fenton as the federal government’s Chief Federal Response Coordinator. In this role, Fenton will ensure that every federal asset is provided to help the community rebuild as fast as possible on Maui. To further assist the community’s recovery, the Major Disaster Declaration was amended to provide additional funding to restore or rebuild disaster-damaged publicly owned facilities and the facilities of eligible private nonprofits.
More than 1,000 federal personnel are on the ground on Maui assisting residents in their greatest time of need, including more than 430 search and rescue team members and 43 canines trained to identify remains. FEMA’s Disaster Survivor Assistance teams are going into communities to help people register for assistance. To date, the Biden-Harris Administration has approved over $10 million in assistance to more than 3,000 households.
FEMA Urges Residents to Stay Safe After Hilary, Monitor Tropical Storm Harold
While FEMA continues to coordinate the federal response efforts in Hawaii, the agency is also coordinating closely with California, Nevada and Tribal Nations affected by Tropical Storm Hilary and stands ready to provide support as needed. The National Response Coordination Center at FEMA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., is operating to coordinate federal resources or requests for assistance.
FEMA deployed Incident Management Assistance Teams to California with more teams on standby if necessary. FEMA also deployed a Staging Management Team, Incident Support Base Team and Disaster Survivor Assistance Strike Team to California to support the state and Tribal Nations.
FEMA has also deployed an Incident Management Assistance Team to the Texas Division of Emergency Management in Austin ahead of Tropical Storm Harold’s landfall in South Texas. Harold is expected to produce heavy rains, along with flash and urban flooding. Residents should monitor the storm and pay attention to local officials.
FEMA encourages everyone to visit www.Ready.gov or www.Listo.gov to learn more about how to be prepared and how to protect yourself and your loved ones before, during and after emergencies.