Gov. Green extends invitation for President Biden and the First Lady to visit Maui

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will visit Hawai‘i on Monday, Aug. 21, to observe the impact of the Maui fires and join the state in mourning the devastating loss of life and land that has occurred across the island, as well as to discuss next steps in the recovery efforts. While on the ground, the President, First Lady, and Governor Josh Green, M.D., will meet with first responders, survivors, and federal, state and local officials.

Gov. Green extended an invitation to the President and First Lady after being advised that the search and recovery efforts will have reached a point that a visit can be done safely and in a way that will support the recovery efforts.

“The suffering experienced as a result of the fires on Maui is a tragic blow to our state and the people of Hawaiʻi,” said Governor Green. “However, we have been uplifted by the outpouring of support we have received from across our communities, across the nation, and throughout the world.”

“We are especially grateful to President Biden for his strong support and partnership. From the first hours of the tragedy, he has enabled us to respond with the full force of the resources we need. We’ve been in constant contact with the President and his team. Just six hours after submitting our official request, President Biden signed our major disaster declaration, allowing us to expeditiously mobilize with the full support of the federal government to aid our community. To date, we have received massive help from the FEMA, the US Small Business Administration,  and virtually every other key federal partner.

Governor Green shared that “in consultation with our experts on the ground who are managing search and recovery operations, we have humbly asked the President to visit Hawai‘i on Monday, Aug. 21. Relief professionals have indicated that this is a point when a majority of our search and recovery efforts should be nearly complete, and a time when extra presence will not hamper disaster management efforts.”

“We are thankful for the outpouring of support and aloha that Maui has received — and we are united as a nation in providing every support and resource we have, to the victims of the Lāhainā fires,” said Gov. Green.