Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell said the search for those missing amid the wildfires in Hawaii is 78% complete.
Criswell's statement comes as the current tally is 114 people have died from the wildfires in Maui, with hundreds of others still missing. The FEMA administrator stated that officials are going through "every bit of the burned area" to ensure that any remains in the area are identified, according to an appearance she made on CNN.
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“The report that I got last night is that we are 78% complete with the search, and our teams are continuing to go through, through the day, to go through every part of it and help identify anybody that might still be missing," Criswell said. "And we've brought in additional teams. The FBI is on scene, the Department of Defense, along with HHS, to help identify and also reunify people that may be in shelters, may have gone somewhere else, making sure that we can work together to identify who is still unaccounted for, where people and as we continue to identify those that unfortunately have been lost by this tragic event, you know, making sure that we link up all of that information."
Criswell, along with President Joe Biden, are going to be visiting Hawaii on Monday, where the president will meet with first responders and survivors. When asked about the president's upcoming visit and criticism from Republicans on his late response to the wildfires, Criswell explained that she had been directed by Biden to go to Maui and meet with the local officials.
"I was in complete communication with him throughout this event, helping him understand what I was seeing and what resources needed to come in," Criswell said. "And he directed me to make sure that we are doing everything we can to help the people of Maui, and to bring in all of the federal resources to help with this immediate response, but also to begin thinking about what this long-term recovery and rebuilding is going to look like."
Ahead of his visit to Hawaii, Biden conveyed that his and first lady Jill Biden's "thoughts and prayers" were "with the people of Hawaii." The first lady will join him on his visit.
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"But not just our prayers," Biden said Tuesday. "Every asset — every asset they need will be there for them. And we be — we’ll be there in Maui as long as it takes, as long as it takes. And I meant that sincerely."
The governor of Hawaii, Gov. Josh Green (D), has expressed optimism regarding Maui's recovery from this disaster, stating that Lahaina, an area in Maui County, "will rise again" in the wake of these wildfires.