#shorts On 8/16/2023, a reporter asked, “Administrator Criswell. I heard you — everything you said about all the resources that are being brought to bear, but we keep interviewing survivor after survivor who says that either they didn’t see any government personnel or assistance for days, or that they still haven’t. How do you explain the disconnect between what they’re saying and what you’re saying about all the resources that are there in Maui?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: I think you need to understand that this community is going through an amazingly traumatic event. I can tell you that we have personnel that are on the ground year-round and embedded in with the state as soon as the fire started so we could continue to understand what resources were needed and help move them in.

Reporter: I know that FEMA takes a backseat to states in situations like this, but Hawaii is a small state. Does — does Hawaii have the staffing and the expertise to lead a recovery effort of this magnitude?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: You know, we’ve been embedded with them. We actually have personnel that integrate in year-round with them to help maintain their capacity.

other clips of this published longer video is here: https://youtu.be/P5bDdxZAEUs
Reporter Asks Biden FEMA Administrator About “Disconnect” Between Admin, Public On Maui Wildfire