The 80-year-old donned the mantle of comforter-in-chief as he saw for himself the devastation wreaked on Lahaina by a fire that killed at least 114 people as it levelled the historic town.
“I know the feeling that many people in this town, this community (have); that hollow feeling you have in your chest like you’re being sucked into a black hole,” he said as he stood by the blackened skeleton of a historic banyan tree.
“We’re with you for as long as it takes, I promise you, by making sure your voices are heard.
“We’re gonna rebuild the way that the people of Maui want to build. The fire cannot reach the roots. That’s Maui. That’s America.”
Biden is fighting a rearguard action against criticism his government was too slow to respond to the disaster, with locals angry at what some of them see as a plodding official response.
Former president Donald Trump said it was “disgraceful” that his successor had not been in Hawaii more quickly, though the White House has said Biden delayed his trip so as not to distract officials and rescuers working on the ground.
Residents have also lashed out at Maui officials who they say should have sounded an alarm system as the fire erupted.
Biden and First Lady Jill Biden walked through the ravaged remains of Lahaina with Hawaii’s governor Josh Green and his wife, nearly two weeks after ferocious, wind-whipped blazes sent residents jumping into the ocean to escape the flames.
After a helicopter tour of the damage, Biden is due to announce further relief funding and the appointment of a federal response coordinator.
Biden, who travelled from Nevada where he was vacationing, said in a statement that “I know nothing can replace the loss of life. I will do everything in my power to help Maui recover and rebuild from this tragedy.”
Source: CNA
