House committee investigates FEMA's action in Maui fires

A House committee has launched an investigation into the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) response to the devastating fire that killed more than a hundred people in Maui, Hawaii.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee sent a letter to Deanne Criswell, the FEMA administrator, asking for some details about disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

"More than one thousand Federal personnel deployed to assist in the response efforts to this devastating fire. These include representatives from search and rescue teams, the United States Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, and several other Federal agencies," stated the letter which highlights the investigation to evaluate the efficiency and suitability of federal assistance programs.

The committee also explained that it will focus on concerns that arise with the use of federal resources and assets both during and after the emergency agency's response, to ensure that taxpayer resources are used effectively.

"For example, even as the fires in Maui were still burning, reports raised serious concerns related to alerting residents of the danger, evacuations from vulnerable areas, and access to resources, including water, to fight the fire. Additionally, questions were raised related to the housing of FEMA and other Federal personnel, including the location of housing and cost to the taxpayer," the committee said.

Committee members raised 15 questions in the letter about how taxpayer resources were distributed, such as those distributed to families, among others.