A Maui resident and his spouse who escaped the lethal wildfires in Lahaina by leaping into the ocean and treading water for nearly three hours say the federal authorities’s response has been pathetic.
“We’re not being treated like we’re U.S. citizens,” Mike Cicchino informed “NewsNation Prime” host Natasha Zouves as his spouse Andreza sat beside him.
“I can’t speak for everybody, but we feel like we’re not getting any help out here at least from the federal government,” he mentioned. “They are helping, from what I understand, down on the ground to look for bodies, to clear out rubble, those types of things. But as far as the people that were displaced, financially, they’ve been no help.”
Following the wildfire three weeks in the past in Maui, the couple, like many residents, had been left homeless and unemployed when the blaze ripped by means of their house and enterprise.
“We feel like we just got out of a fight for our life. Now, we’re back in another fight for our life to find a home, to find a place to rest our head at night,” Mr. Cicchino mentioned. “We’re not getting any help from (the) federal government so far.”
The wildfires killed at the very least 115 individuals, with tons of nonetheless unaccounted for, and destroyed at the very least 2,000 constructions. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved one-time grants of $700 per family as a part of its preliminary catastrophe aid.
Mr. Cicchino, although, mentioned he and his spouse haven’t seen the cash.
“We never received the $700, which I mean wouldn’t go very far here in Hawaii,” he mentioned. “We’re mostly getting help from private organizations and nonprofits.”
When requested Monday by a reporter about federal efforts to assist these in Maui by the administration, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded, “We will be there…as long as it takes for this community to rebuild.”
President Biden confronted backlash from Republicans upon arriving in Maui 13 days after the fires and making uncommon quips whereas touring the burnt grounds, leaving his critics and a few residents saying the president appeared unsympathetic within the aftermath of the devastation.
The White House, nevertheless, pushed again, saying Mr. Biden responded instantly and saved involved with the governor and different emergency officers when the catastrophe occurred.
FEMA introduced final week it had distributed greater than $8.5 million in assist to about 8,000 households impacted by the wildfire, together with $3.6 million in rental help.
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