Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard blasted the Biden administration over its response to the wildfire in Maui that killed dozens of people.
A wildfire on Maui destroyed many buildings in the town of Lahaina, killing at least 96 people as of Monday. Video posted on showed people fleeing into the ocean to escape the fire, which destroyed many cultural artifacts in the city that served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. (RELATED: FEMA Director Says Biden Admin Wants ‘Culturally Responsive’ Outreach, Communication After Maui Fire)
WATCH:
“I also want to speak to the many, many families who live in the community surrounding Lahaina, just north of that historic town, who are continuing to struggle. Many of them did not have power for days. They were told the water was contaminated, having to shower and bathe their children with bottled water, cut off from communication,” Gabbard told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. “The cell phone towers were down. They had no Wi-Fi or internet connectivity.”
“These are people who stood up in the midst of this tragedy and did everything they could to help each other,” Gabbard continued. “The sad part is, we are eight days past this wildfire. And I’m in constant touch with these community members and leaders. They are still not seeing a response from the county, the state, the federal government, to be able to go out and help them. The community support hubs that they have are 100 percent community led, volunteer supply collections, conducting all these co-ordinations on their own. They feel like the government doesn’t care about them, and that’s a horrible, horrible disservice to people who have gone through a kind of loss that we can’t even imagine.”
President Joe Biden came under fire after saying he had “no comment” on the disaster Monday. The White House announced Wednesday he would visit the island on Aug. 21.
“Not only are they not getting the support that they need, but oftentimes they have been getting blocked from being able to receive the support from their friends and neighbors. This is a crisis that is continuing on,” Gabbard said. “It is not at all lost on the people of west Maui when they are told that FEMA is going to give those impacted a one-time $700 payment. And as they look at the news, they are seeing tens of more millions of dollars being sent to Ukraine. Some of them said, hey, maybe if we change the name of Maui to Ukraine, maybe they will pay attention to us.”
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.