(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden is under intense scrutiny for his response to the Maui wildfires. One Hawaii resident says the president has “failed” the island.
As flames erupted in Lahaina, Mike Cicchino and his wife jumped into the ocean and spent more than three hours in crashing waves to escape the fire. Cicchino says he’s still coming to grips with what he calls the most terrifying experience of his life.
“Being on fire, not knowing where land is, at points, the currents pulling us out where we can’t touch the ground,” Cicchino told “NewsNation Prime” host Natasha Zouves. “At times, I remember just telling her to make sure that she saves herself. ‘Don’t worry. If I start drowning out here, you save yourself.’ It’s the most terrifying experience of our life.”
But with the devastation has come frustration for many residents, including Cicchino – Now, he’s calling for transparency from officials on all levels.
“They need to be more transparent. We feel like they’re just kind of throwing the blame at other places and dodging questions,” he told NewsNation.
Cicchino said local and state officials have refused to answer questions about the ages of victims, specifically children.
“It’s just sad that they’re trying to hide so much from us and especially about the children,” he said, later adding: “When somebody asked our mayor the other day to just give us an estimate of how many children (died), he got confrontational, and we don’t need somebody that’s confrontational with locals that are just trying to get answers.”
He also says the federal response has been “insulting.”
“We’re not very political people. We really don’t go one way or the other, but Biden has really failed us. One of the worst disasters in U.S. history happens and he hasn’t been out here. It’s been two weeks on Tuesday,” Cicchino said. “What kind of president does that?”
Cicchino continued: “FEMA is giving some people $700. We didn’t get $700 and we’re not complaining about that. But giving people just $700 to survive when they just lost everything, their clothes, their family members, is insulting. People need more help.”
Biden and the first lady are expected to land in Maui on Monday to survey wildfire damage. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says more than 1,000 people are still unaccounted for following the blaze, which is the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
