US President Biden forgets name of Hawaii wildfire island in baffling footage
As the true extent of the devastation caused by wildfires on Maui starts to become clear, President Joe Biden has appeared to forget the name of the island which has been ravaged by the fires.
The blunder was made during a speech in Milwaukee on Tuesday, August 15, as the death toll rose to 106 that evening - making the Maui wildfires the deadliest in the US in more than 100 years. The death toll from the Maui fires has now surpassed that of the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed 85 and destroyed the town of Paradise.
During his speech, the president told the crowd there were still fires on the Big Island - also known as Hawaii. He pointed out the fires were blazing on the Big Island, not Maui, but appeared to struggle to remember the name of the devastated island.
He said: "The Army helicopters helped fire suppression efforts on the Big Island because there's still some burning on the Big Island - not the one that, not the one where you see on television all the time."
The historic town of Lahaina was decimated by fires which rapidly spread through the area (AP)Biden was quick to approve a Federal Emergency to help residents. However, he has been criticised by Republicans for having not travelled to the island yet, but said he and his wife intended to visit soon.
Boy, 10, saw neighbours swept to deaths in UK's worst storm that killed hundreds
"My wife Jill and I are going to travel to Hawaii as soon as we can," he said. "That's what I've been talking to the governor about.
"I don't want to get in the way. I've been to too many disaster areas. But I want to go make sure we got everything they need. Want to be sure we don't disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts."
Kaniela Ing, a Democratic former member of Hawaii's state legislature, said he wasn't satisfied with the response of Biden's administration. He said: "I campaigned for you. Now, when I lose dozens of my friends, family, and neighbours - this?"
More than 3,000 people have registered for federal help, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) - with that number expected to rise. FEMA was giving displaced residents $700 (£550) to help cover the cost of food, water, first aid and medical supplies, as well as qualifying coverage for the loss of homes and personal property.
President Biden said he and his wife Jill would be visiting Hawaii as soon as they could (Getty Images)As of Tuesday afternoon, Maui officials said only around 30 per cent of the area has been searched for victims, with thousands of people still missing. Families have been asked to give DNA samples to aid in identifying victims, which Maui officials said will be a slow and difficult process.
The Lahaina fire, which devastated the historic town, was 85 per cent contained as of Tuesday afternoon, with the Kula fire at 65 per cent, though officials warned new flare-ups have been reported. The Pulehu/Kihei, Ka'anapali and Haiku fires are all said to be 100 per cent contained now.
However, authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain, including in drinking water, after the flames spewed poisonous fumes. A curfew has been put in place in the historic town of Lahaina between 10pm and 6am daily, with residents warned not to use running water.
It comes as the first victims of the fires were identified on Tuesday as Lahaina residents Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79. A further three victims are said to have also been identified, however, the county said in a statement their names will be released once their next of kin have been identified and notified.
More than 100 people have died in the devastating wildfires (AP)Hawaii Governor Josh Green said on Tuesday that children are among the victims of the fires. During an appearance on Hawaii News Now he said: "When the bodies are smaller, we know it's a child.
"There was a car, we know, for example, that had four people in it. It was obviously a family of four and two children in the back seat."
Royal Navy sailors rushed to hospital after drinking contaminated water on ship
He said the task of recovering bodies is one of the toughest parts of the efforts and one of the reasons officials are asking for patience from people wanting to enter the "ground zero" area of the fires.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he wants Congress to help Hawaii by approving a supplemental spending package that includes $13 billion to replenish federal disaster funds "as quickly as possible". He said his heart goes out to all those impacted by the devastating fires in Maui, adding that the Senate would "do everything we could to help Hawaii".
Last week, the Biden administration requested $13 billion in overall disaster funds as part of a $40 billion package that includes money for the war effort in Ukraine, which is running into opposition from Republicans in Congress.
Most likely, the request will be considered alongside broader legislation needed by September 30 to keep the federal government funded and avoid a shutdown in routine services.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
