Maui locals react to Biden's visit to wildfire-ravaged Lahaina

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• By Ezra Levant

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On August 8, a wildfire was declared in Lahaina, a town on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

The cause has not yet been confirmed, but the prevailing theory suggests it may be due to a fallen electrical wire. This fire, which seems to not have been monitored by firefighters, reportedly rekindled during the day and completely razed Lahaina.

Emergency sirens were not activated, and according to Herman Andaya, the director of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, he was concerned that residents might run towards the fire instead of evacuating. Several people lost their lives that day because the residents were not alerted quickly enough, and the fires spread rapidly.

Crazy scenes here in Lahaina.

Nothing but burned infrastructure and ash remains on scene with military protecting the area. Some parts of the town are completely burned.

For our coverage: https://t.co/3vGi0Ol5l6 pic.twitter.com/4N5m0Xu3V9

— Alexandra Lavoie (@ThevoiceAlexa) August 17, 2023

President Joe Biden was questioned twice about the fires that destroyed one of Maui's historic towns. Biden responded with "No comment" and "We are looking at it."

The Hunter Biden Presidential Gag Order 🙈🙉🙊

✅Biden coming back from the beach and there might not be a chance to talk to him until Friday?
✅Look at Will Cain after the clip of Biden's no comment on Maui - he has relatives there😢
✅Joe bike ride REFUSING to comment Maui 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4K93erlnpv

— Joni Job (@jj_talking) August 14, 2023

His absence during one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the United States was notable, and he was highly criticized as a result.

On August 21, Biden arrived around 11 a.m. local time aboard Air Force One. His convoy consisted of more than 20 large SUVs, ambulances and security vehicles. During the ceremony, commentators even speculated Biden, 80, fell asleep, a claim fact checkers dispute.

Biden appears to fall asleep during a ceremony in Hawaii honoring the hundreds of Americans killed by the fires pic.twitter.com/epLCJ01B0J

— Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) August 22, 2023

The public's opinion regarding his visit was highly polarized. "Most people in the (mainland U.S.) and in Hawaii don't care for Joe Biden. Especially the Hawaiian people, because he represents the government that overthrew their government back in 1919 and took over the Hawaiian kingdom," one of the residents answered.

A member of the community mentioned that whenever the government gets involved with assistance, it tends to become capitalistic.

Joe Biden faced criticism before and after his visit to Lahaina.

People of Lahaina shared their thoughts on him coming to town.

Watch the full video at https://t.co/3vGi0Okxvy pic.twitter.com/Qgdn73ZSIr

— Alexandra Lavoie (@ThevoiceAlexa) August 23, 2023

Regarding the people living in Kahului, some believe that Biden's visit can help. "Whatever he can do to help the people of Hawaii, because they've suffered a lot here. This will be tremendous for them," a resident mentioned.

While some people showed their discontent to Biden's convoy, others believe that his visit will make him realize the extent of the disaster the wildfire caused.

Biden aimed to ensure that his visit would not hinder ongoing response and recovery efforts. However, on that day, his visit required a lot of manpower to clear the streets and protect the area. During that time, residents were partially blocked from accessing the supply site in Lahaina.