‘We don’t want to distract,’ Joe Biden and Kamala Harris skip Maui visit to avoid ‘distraction’ amid relief efforts
VP Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden will not visit Maui after wildfires due to the ongoing rescue efforts.
VP Kamala Harris said today that she and President Joe Biden will not go to Maui after the wildfires that have killed at least 55 people and left thousands homeless, because they “don’t want to distract” from the rescue efforts, CSPAN reported.
Harris told reporters that they are “deeply concerned” about the fire that destroyed a historic town and forced many people to escape into the ocean. She said they are sending federal resources to help the victims and the first responders, but they don’t want to take away their focus by being there.
“We don’t want to distract from the resources that need to go in to the victims of this tragedy, and of course the needs of the first responders have to be able to focus on that issue and not worry about focusing on us [because] we’re there,” Harris said before flying to Chicago on Air Force Two.
“We are coordinating federal resources to swiftly get there to support the work in terms of recovery, but to just support the folks on the ground. It is tragic,” the VP added.
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Biden declared a federal disaster for the islands on Thursday, CNN said.
The federal government also sent food and water for 5,000 people for five days, according to the outlet.
But, the situation is still dire, as officials estimate that at least 1,000 people are still missing, KTVU FOX 2 reported.
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen told the TODAY Show on Friday that the death toll will likely rise, as the current count only includes those found outside of buildings. He said they are waiting for FEMA to search the burned-out structures.
The power and communication outages are also making it hard for rescue and relief efforts. Lauren Henrie, a communications consultant for Maui Rescue Mission, told CNN that West Maui is completely cut off from communication and power.
“We as a local nonprofit are not able to even access anything west of Maalaea. West Maui is completely cut off from communication and power,” Henrie said.
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“We are looking at years, years of recovery here,” she added.
While Biden and Harris decided not to visit Maui, Oprah Winfrey was seen helping at a relief shelter.
The media mogul, who has a residence in Maui, donated supplies and talked with displaced residents at the War Memorial Stadium in Wailuku Thursday.
