More than 1,000 Federal personnel are on the ground on Maui
to aid response efforts
$12 million in assistance to over 3,300 households approved to date
On, Monday, August 21, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden traveled to Maui, where they met emergency responders, survivors, community members, as well as federal, state, and local officials, and saw firsthand the overwhelming destruction caused by the wildfires. They also saw the courage and resilience of the people of Maui. As the President made clear, he is committed to delivering everything the people of Hawaiʻi need, and his Administration will be there as long as it takes to complete response efforts. Throughout this process, the Administration is focused on respecting sacred lands, cultures, and traditions.
Since the onset of this unprecedented tragedy, President Biden launched a whole-of-government effort to support residents and affected communities - and as soon as Hawaiʻi Governor Josh Green requested a Major Disaster Declaration, the President signed it. As the recovery moves into the next phase, President Biden on Monday appointed FEMA Region 9 Administrator Bob Fenton as the Chief Federal Response Coordinator for Maui. In this role, Fenton will oversee the Federal government's long-term recovery work on the ground.
Thousands of personnel from across dozens of Federal departments and agencies continue working with state and local partners on the ground to assess ongoing needs and provide resources and personnel to support response efforts.
Below are updated statistics and actions from the Biden-Harris Administration's whole of government response, including a new U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announcement of a $1.3 million funding allocation to help communities on Maui in the wake of the wildfires through HUD's new Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing (RUSH) program, a rapid response program to address homelessness by filling in federal assistance gaps in communities hit by disasters.
The Administration encourages individuals impacted by the disaster to register for Federal assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Additionally, as we work to provide communications to meet the needs of those impacted by the Hawaiʻi wildfires, FEMA has multiple language translations available.
