President Biden flew to Hawaii with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on Monday to inspect damage from wildfires in Maui, while also monitoring the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Hilary in Southern California and another series of fires that burned 200 homes in Washington State.

The events underlined

underline

the growing threat of the country’s climate disasters in the West.

Biden planned to appoint Bob Fenton, a veteran FEMA official, as long-term recovery lead for Maui, where more than 100 people have died and hundreds more are missing.

In addition to making comments, Biden planned to assess the damage and meet with children and other victims who lost relatives in the fires.

“We will be there for the long haul to ensure that there is a coordinated strategic federal response not only today and tomorrow, but also in the future,” said White House deputy press secretary Olvia Dalton.

e

ary, told reporters aboard Air Force One, “because this is going to be a long, hard process.”

The federal government employs more than 1,000 people in Maui, including 450 who work on search and rescue. The administration has also committed to spending at least $8.6 million to help individual families with rent and other needs.

Criswell told reporters she had also been in contact with disaster officials in California following a call Biden had with Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Biden, who ha

Rev

He was vacationing in Lake Tahoe and ordered the Coast Guard to station aircraft in the region ahead of the storm in case they were needed for search and rescue. Teams of federal disaster workers were also sent to the state, as well as Nevada and Arizona.

“Fortunately, Californians listened to their local officials and took the necessary preparedness measures to help protect themselves and their families,” Criswell said as she discussed early damage assessments, including mudslides and flooding.

FEMA announced earlier Monday that the agency had sent two teams to California to manage the federal response and keep more officials on standby if needed.

The agency sent additional teams to assist state and tribal leaders and to provide communications and technical support. The agency said yes

placed

supplies in place ahead of the storm

the

March Air Reserve Base at Riverside.

Criswell told reporters

travel on board

on Air Force One that

FEMA’s office

used a “layered approach” to ensure resources are available in all disaster areas by tapping regionally based workers and

,

get help from other federal agencies if needed.

But she also said the agency’s money was running low, putting some recovery projects on hold as the federal budget year ends and the Biden administration is asking Congress for $12 billion more for the agency as part of a larger spending package.

“As we continue to see the impact of what these disasters entail, we will need to analyze closely

,

how much will it take to continue to support the increase in the number of these severe weather events with these really complex recovery actions,” Criswell said.