Maui wildfires updates: President Biden, first lady get firsthand look at damage
The fires burned thousands of homes and commercial buildings to the ground.
The deadly wildfires that erupted on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Aug. 8 have become the deadliest natural disaster in state history, officials said.
The blazes spread rapidly due to very dry conditions stemming from a drought combined with powerful winds. Much of the historic town of Lahaina has been "destroyed," officials said, and the inferno has burned thousands of residential and commercial buildings to the ground.
Latest headlines:
Maui Strong: Charities to directly support wildfire relief efforts
On Thursday, "Good Morning America" and ABC News organized efforts to help viewers get involved in relief efforts for survivors of the Maui fires.
How to help:
-- Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
-- University of Hawai'i Foundation
-- Kokua Restaurant & Hospitality Fund for Maui
-ABC News’ Kelly McCarthy
What we know about the victims
Over 100 people have died from the devastating wildfires on Maui. Officials have warned that the death toll is expected to rise as they work to contain the active blazes and assess the damage.
Click here to read what we know about some of the victims.
Death toll rises to 115
The death toll from the wildfires has risen to 115 people, Maui County and the Maui Police Department said Monday.
Biden: 'We're going to rebuild the way the people of Maui want it to be rebuilt'
President Joe Biden spoke with reporters after he and the first lady toured the damage of the wildfires with Gov. Josh Green and other Hawaii elected officials.
Biden, who spoke near a historic banyan tree that was not burned, acknowledged the damage was devastating but said the strength of residents and state and local leaders would help the community persevere.
"The tree survived for a reason. I believe it's a powerful, a very powerful symbol of what we can and will do to get through this crisis," he said.
The president reflected on his own loss when his first wife Neilia and 13-month-old daughter Naomi were killed in a car crash in 1972 and said he knows the pain of what many residents, especially ones who are still searching for their loved ones, are going through.
Biden said there are over 450 search-and-rescue experts working around the clock to help find people.
"The difference between knowing somebody's gone and worrying whether they're available to come back are two different things," he said.
Biden acknowledged the long road ahead but reiterated that the federal government will be on the island "for as long as it takes" to help them recover and rebuild.
He emphasized that the federal government "will be respectful of the sacred grounds [and] the traditions."
"We're going to rebuild the way that people of Maui want to build, but you know, it's gonna be hard," he said.
Bidens land in Maui, begin tour of devastated areas
President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden arrived in Maui around 11:20 a.m. local time for their visit to the devastated island.
Biden was greeted by Hawaii Gov. Josh Green at the bottom of Air Force One. Green shook the president’s hand before the two hugged.
The first lady also hugged Green and his wife Jaime.
Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono and Rep. Jill Tokuda also greeted the Bidens.
The president and first lady took an aerial tour aboard Marine One an aerial tour of the impacted areas with the governor, senators, Tokuda and Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell.
The Bidens and the entourage then took a tour on foot.
-ABC News' Justin Gomez
Biden's visit will be 'an emotional day for everyone': White House
President Joe Biden and the first lady's visit to Maui later on Monday will be "an emotional day for everyone," White House principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton told reporters.
The president will "meet with parents who've lost children, and children who lost parents, and first responders who saved other's homes while their own burned to the ground," Dalton said.
Over $8.5 million has been distributed to Maui residents, including $3.6 million for direct rental assistance, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said.
Eight-thousand families have registered for assistance, she said.
Biden on Monday is expected to announce Bob Fenton, the Region 9 administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as the chief federal response coordinator to oversee Maui's long-term coordinated federal recovery effort.
Criswell said Fenton will "provide that level of oversight and coordination to make sure all the federal departments and agencies are bringing all the resources that they can to help this community rebuild and recover."
-ABC News' Justin Gomez
Many cultural landmarks cherished by the people of the island have been damaged
One region particularly ravaged by the wildfires is the historic town of Lahaina, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1962.
It was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1820 to 1845 before Honolulu became the capital and before the kingdom was overthrown and Hawaii was annexed by the United States, according to the Hawai'i Tourism Authority.
This includes the historic Waiola Church, the first Christian church on Maui established in 1823, which can be seen in photos engulfed in the blaze.
Buried here are several Hawaiian monarchs, including "Queen Keopuolani, the highest royalty by virtue of bloodlines in all Hawaii," the last king of Kauai King Kaumuali'i, High Chief Ulumaheihei Hoapili and more.
A more than 60-foot-tall, 150-year-old Indian banyan tree that become a beloved landmark in the city of Lahaina was also damaged in the blaze, pictures show.
The historic tree covers one-quarter of a mile and shades nearly two-thirds of an acre of land.
Other historic homes, museums, and cultural centers were caught in the blaze. Learn more here.
-ABC News' Kiara Alfonseca
