By Staff Reports
(Maui)– President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visited Maui on Monday to assess the damage of the wildfire disaster area in Lahaina and meet with survivors and first responders who were impacted by the fires.
After landing aboard Air Force One at the Kahului Airport, President Biden and a contingent of state and federal officials — including Gov. Josh Green, Sen. Brian Schatz, Sen. Mazie Hirono and Rep. Jill Tokuda — quickly boarded helicopters for a short flight to West Maui.
The president landed at the Kapalua-West Maui Regional Airport just after noon.and was greeted by Mayor Richard Bissen, who accompanied the president and first lady on a tour of Front Street and the Lahaina disaster area.
After receiving a briefing on the situation from Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, the Incident Commander for the Lahaina wildfire disaster, President Biden met briefly with a large contingent of first responders, including Maui Fire Chief Brad Ventura and Maui Police Chief John Pelletier, before addressing reporters during a press conference on Front Street.
“To my left is the banyan tree beloved by this community for over 150 years. Today, it’s burned, but it’s still standing. The tree survived for a reason,” said President Biden. “I believe it is a very powerful symbol of what we can and will do to get through this crisis.
“We will be respectful of these sacred grounds and traditions and rebuild the way the people of Maui want to build, not the way others want to build,” the president added.
Mayor Bissen said, “I want to thank our country’s leaders, especially President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, for traveling here to Maui to see firsthand the catastrophic destruction our people are facing as a result of this devastating wildfire. We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming outpouring of kindness, kōkua and kakoʻo that we are receiving on Maui, and I am humbled by how everyone in Hawaiʻi, and countless others around the world, have stood with us during this difficult time.”
After the visit to Front Street, the president and first lady traveled to the Lahaina Civic Center, where they spoke to a group of more than 100 wildfire survivors and their family members. There, President Biden spoke to the crowd and reiterated his commitment to rebuilding Lahaina in a manner consistent with the priorities of area residents who were impacted by the tragedy.
The president and first lady concluded their visit to Maui at 4:47 p.m., when Air Force One departed from Kahului Airport.
