Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will not visit Hawaii after wildfires ravage islands

Hawai'i is experiencing the worst fire on record in years. On Tuesday, the blaze began consuming the island of Maui and left at least 80 fatalities in its wake, according to the Maui County's official website, making it the second deadliest wildfire since 2018. That year, recalls Breitbart, the Camp Fire in California killed at least 85 people.

The fire is still active, and resources have already been mobilized. However, the islanders will not have a visit from President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris. It was Harris who assured Friday that none of the country's top politicians intend to go to Maui or the other affected areas to see the devastation faced by the islanders first hand. The reason? They don't want to be a distraction to the relief efforts that are needed on the ground right now, as she told several media outlets minutes before boarding Air Force Two for Chicago:

Biden issues federal disaster declaration in Hawaii

As the vice president stated just afterward, the Biden administration is already "coordinating federal resources to swiftly get there to support the work in terms of recovery but to just support the folks on the ground." She also assured that the fire, which destroyed at least 2,000 acres of land as well as 80% of the town of Lahaina, "is tragic."

The fire has not only the islanders, but the whole country concerned. The consequences are worsening, and the number of deaths continues to rise as the rubble is cleared. For that reason, the president issued a federal disaster declaration in the area on Thursday. The order opens up federal assistance for the areas most damaged by the fire and includes the urgent shipment of water and food to help 5,000 people over the next five days.

Along with this, Biden explained during a press conference in Salt Lake City that the federal government is also sending reinforcements with the intention of evacuating islanders in the affected area as soon as possible:

Among the pledged assistance, the White House explains in a press release, there is assistance for requesting grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. In addition, it also includes funds that may be used for debris removal and emergency protective measures in Maui County.

The numbers of the fires in Hawaii

The 80 deaths became the highest death toll from a natural disaster in the state, surpassing the 61 from the 1960 tsunami.

According to authorities, some 14,000 people were evacuated from the island of Maui, while another 14,500 had to be moved to nearby areas.

"What we saw is catastrophic. It's probably the largest natural disaster in the history of the state of Hawaii," said Maui State Governor Josh Green, while warning that the death toll could rise "very significantly."

According to CNN, at least 100 people had to jump into the water to avoid being hit by the fire.