(NewsNation) — The former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency slammed President Joe Biden and his administration’s response to the devastating Maui wildfires, calling his trip “disruptive.”

“The first reaction he [Biden] had to this disaster was “no comment.” And when somebody said specifically, do you have a comment about the disaster in Hawaii? Either he was completely misinformed by his staff, which is a horrible thing to occur, or he was truly so out of it that he didn’t know what they were talking about,” said Michael Brown.

Brown served as the FEMA director during Hurricane Katrina. He joined “NewsNation Prime” to discuss the administration’s response to the ongoing disaster in Hawaii, emphasizing how important honest and open communication is.

“I believe one thing for certain, even in a disaster, the American people can handle the truth,” Brown said. “So just tell them the truth about what you expect. I would also encourage people on Maui to get off social media, listen to government officials, listen to reliable news sources like NewsNation.”

President Biden and the first lady are set to visit Maui Monday, to assess the damage and meet with locals.

“I think it’s going to be disruptive. I understand why everybody wants the president to show up, but I just think we need to talk about the logistics and make certain that where he’s going is not going to disrupt things. And just from my personal experience, they will interrupt things,” said Brown.

Ahead of Biden’s visit, Brown outlined what Maui residents will need from the president.

“This is, for me, reminiscent of Ground Zero or the Pentagon on 9/11. It’s a horrific disaster. So the president needs to be compassionate. He needs to be caring, he needs to be quiet and he needs to listen to what people have to say,” Brown told NewsNation. “Now’s not the time for pontificating, now’s the time to be listening to their needs.”