of what i approach. because of what i saw, will be activating the joint task force, a dual status command. i will be appointing brigadier general stephen logan, it will be the commander so he will have the authority to command both active—duty and national guard forces. i bending close contact with the commander of the indo pacific commander of the indo pacific command and general charles flynn, the commander of the us army pacific and they have said they will provide estate with military resources we need or response and recovery. we did ask and did formally request several capabilities and resources from fema and the federal government, to allow the administrator to go into the administrator to go into the details of what he has

approved, what it's going to take a long time as the mayor and the governor alluded to, so much destruction, it's going to take time to rebuild. thank you. fit take time to rebuild. thank ou. �* , take time to rebuild. thank ou. ~ , ., take time to rebuild. thank ou. �* , ., ~ you. at this time, would like to brina you. at this time, would like to bring up _ you. at this time, would like to bring up robert— you. at this time, would like to bring up robert fenton, l to bring up robert fenton, region— to bring up robert fenton, region nine fema administrator. we appreciate it. first, our condolences and prayer for those of lost friends and loved ones during this event. we want to be with you, not only now that through the recovery in the years to come. also, a message of safety, continue to heed the warnings of local officials. don't wait, listen to them, heed to their warnings. as all the speakers before me talked about, it's unity of effort. ijust like before me talked about, it's unity of effort. i just like to say one team, one fight but this is really going to take a whole community effort. it's

just not government at the federal, state and local level, its business, private sector, nonprofits, the citizens of maui all coming together, working together to help recover. the devastation i saw today was significant. i've been with fema a26 years. beam to the biggest buyers in the country in the downtown area significantly damaged and a lot of lost structures down there. some of the programmes we will bring that are important here is the ability to provide direct federal assistance. what does that mean? to task other federal agencies to provide support. some of those missions will be in the area, household hazardous waste, the corps of engineers. and many other missions to include potentially generate omissions,

commodities, and also bringing in some search and rescue teams to help with cadaver dogs. they are on the way in right now. both from california and washington. will support the great fire department you have here. our individual assistance programme is the key programme for individuals. those that are survivors who have either lost loved ones or you can't get back to your house or you think you've been impacted by this storm, go ahead and phone 1800 320 6232, the fema number. you could also go to disasterassistance.gov. it fema disasterassistance. gov. it fema can disasterassistance.gov. it fema can assist with home of repair and replacement another non—essential personal property losses, keep any receipts you

incur, also referring you to small business. there is a lot of damage to business in the small business association not only working with businesses but also individuals. we encourage all the survivors to also begin to reach out to your insurance companies, start that process. as you start individual assistance process. in addition to that individual assistance programme, we provide support for public entities and certain essential nonprofits. a lot of significant damage to hospitals, those kind of things and we can help with the rebuilding of those. notjust rebuilding of those. notjust rebuilding but we want to build better and more resilient, make sure they are hardened against future threat, whether fires or hurricane �*s or tsunamis or other events. our last programmes are mitigation programme. 15% of all the

funding will be spent year and put aside to help with some of the future projects. so as we redesign and look at what is the future, how do we help get there, they can be drawn on along with other federal agencies along with otherfederal agencies and we want to make sure we have a long—term recovery co—ordinator here to help maui, the state of hawaii to help rebuild those areas impacted. with that, i appreciate the opportunity today to talk to everyone here and hopefully people can register for individual assistance at disasterassistance.gov. assistance at disasterassistance. gov. thank you. disasterassistance.gov. thank ou. ~ �* disasterassistance.gov. thank ou. �* ., ~ ., disasterassistance.gov. thank ou. ., ~ , you. we've now like to bring up senator the _ you. we've now like to bring up senator the quote. _ you. we've now like to bring up senator the quote. we - you. we've now like to bring up senator the quote. we are - senator the quote. we are trying — senator the quote. we are trying to— senator the quote. we are trying to bring up every

resource we can. 0ur heartfelt condolences, our prayers, love to your— condolences, our prayers, love to your family goes out. our phones _ to your family goes out. our phones have been billed very heavily, _ phones have been billed very heavily, notjust here in maui, you have — heavily, notjust here in maui, you have a _ heavily, notjust here in maui, you have a team on the ground was working hard and fast and swift — was working hard and fast and swift. fema here, the governor has done — swift. fema here, the governor has done everything and his part— has done everything and his part as _ has done everything and his part as well as the congressional delegation. the military — congressional delegation. the military. i can tell you, working _ military. i can tell you, working through honolulu at the convention centre as we start to move — convention centre as we start to move people out and receiving people on the other end, _ receiving people on the other end, directortokioka receiving people on the other end, director tokioka has receiving people on the other end, directortokioka has been fantastic. — end, directortokioka has been fantastic, it's about tourists and — fantastic, it's about tourists and residents. we heard the outrage _ and residents. we heard the outrage. forthose and residents. we heard the outrage. for those of you who can help — outrage. for those of you who can help each other, please help— can help each other, please help each other in time of need _ help each other in time of need. we know there is a lot of emotionai—

need. we know there is a lot of emotional trauma going on. i want — emotional trauma going on. i want to— emotional trauma going on. i want to thank everybody who has supported. we have much funds, supplies— supported. we have much funds, supplies coming in. the groups, the businesses that have affected. these other businesses standing there strong _ businesses standing there strong across the world. we are getting — strong across the world. we are getting calls to help with housing funds, and it isjust unbelievable. 0ur priority here is maui — unbelievable. 0ur priority here is maui this time, the people of maui. _ is maui this time, the people of maui, support the mouth. i do want — of maui, support the mouth. i do want to— of maui, support the mouth. i do want to reiterate, social media _ do want to reiterate, social media is— do want to reiterate, social media is killed us. a lot of the — media is killed us. a lot of the information going out is misinformation which is why the team _ misinformation which is why the team from — misinformation which is why the team from the governor down to military— team from the governor down to military has pushed clarification to the mayor 's clarification to the mayor '5 office _ clarification to the mayor '5 office. please, those numbers and stuff — office. please, those numbers and stuff that might come out, it comes — and stuff that might come out, it comes to the mayor 's it comes to the mayor '5 office _ it comes to the mayor '5 office. the mayor, his team on his ground _ office. the mayor, his team on his ground and mahalo for being here _ his ground and mahalo for being here and — his ground and mahalo for being here and god bless our

families, take care. mahalo, senator- _ families, take care. mahalo, senator- i— families, take care. mahalo, senator. i like _ families, take care. mahalo, senator. i like to _ families, take care. mahalo, senator. i like to bring - families, take care. mahalo, senator. i like to bring up i families, take care. mahalo, i senator. i like to bring up now by cheap rad ventura. —— fire chief brad ventura. by cheap rad ventura. -- fire chief brad ventura.— chief brad ventura. good afternoon. _ chief brad ventura. good afternoon, brad - chief brad ventura. good| afternoon, brad ventura, chief brad ventura. good - afternoon, brad ventura, fire chief. i want to give our deepest condolences by those affected by this incident. it's affected by this incident. it's affected a lot of us personally, members of our community, ourfamilies and our department. 0ur community, ourfamilies and our department. our hearts go out to all of them. i will give you a bit of background on how the day unfolded. firefighters faced with multiple wildfires beginning just after midnight tuesday morning. these firefighters were compounded by extreme winds we are all aware of. the first fire burned about 675 acres. by 11 o'clock in the morning, that is when the lahaina fire began, fuelled by gusts up to 60 miles per hour. some even reported up to 80

miles per hour. in the localised area. we redirected resources from many parts of the island to respond. and after noon, an additional fire started of several areas on that afternoon and resources were also directed up there. around 6pm, fourth wildfire started in the central valley, bringing several hundred acres and again, resources had to be directed and decisions had to be made to triaged what was most important at the time so those fires were left with resources. as of yesterday, 675, not that far, that buyer is several hundred acres, i don't have a number on that. we want to share with the community that none of the fires right now and there are

still active fires and all those areas we discussed. additionally we had many small fires. in between these large fires. in between these large fires. with the current weather pattern we are facing, we still have the potential for rapid fire behaviour so we just want to make sure people stay out of the area, stay diligent. if they see smoke and flames, please call 911. we set up incident management team manage resources within our department stop focusing mostly on containing all of these emergencies right now and stopping them from growing. 0ur department has received both state and federal support and resources which are on the way, some landing right now and we really want to share with the community that part of the reason we need them to stay out is because it's still very, very hazardous in the burned areas. things are falling every minute around us and there are some people who have been hurt by falling telephone poles and such so we need to make sure

the area is safe or anyone can return to that space. that's all the comments i have for now stop mahalo. all the comments i have for now step mahalo— stop mahalo. finally we like to brina a stop mahalo. finally we like to bring a police _ stop mahalo. finally we like to bring a police chief— stop mahalo. finally we like to bring a police chief john - bring a police chiefjohn peletier. bring a police chief john peletier.— peletier. our deepest condolences, - peletier. our deepest condolences, it - peletier. our deepest condolences, it can'tl peletier. our deepest l condolences, it can't be peletier. our deepest - condolences, it can't be said enough because we don't know how many people we have dead. we just don't know. —— john pelletier. i have to say thank you to the incredible work of the men and women of the maui police department to day in and day out to a greatjob. call takers answering calls knowing that we don't have the answers for the loved ones and i got officers who are doing everything they can to stand without firefighters to make sure that this is the safest community possible. because right now, on the face of maui, it will be here for a very long time, we know that scars healing time but they always remain. we need three things

from the community right now. we need your patience, your prayers and your perseverance. understand this. lahaina town is hallowed sacred ground right now because people are in that ground, we have to get them out, and we will get them out as fast as we can but i need your patience while we do this. i know you need to get out there, i know, i know that you guys don't have some of the supplies come you don't have power. but we have to respect the fact that we got loved ones in that earth and we got to do the right thing and get them out the right way. that is going to take time. i will get the road open as fast as i can. we've been watching a press conference under way in hawaii, bringing people up—to—date with the situation on the ground there. just to remind you, some are key points in press conference, the governorjosh green calling this a heartbreaking moment for the state, saying that this is the

largest disaster in the state was make history, pointing out that everyone will know someone touched by this and he said 2000 rooms are still needed for people in the state and in subsidised homes and rooms, provided during rebuilding which he said, and the mayor of maori also said were gone a very long time, and he also pointed out that authorities, officials, volunteers will be involved now in recovery operations to try and find people who have perished in this and also pointing out that there remains no power on the west of the island and a message there senators was direct federal assistance will be available in this response. to go back to our guest, richard elliott was listening to that. chair of the international association of fire chiefs. your response to what was said at that press conference? i what was said at that press conference?— conference? i think it's impressive _ conference? ithink it's impressive that -

conference? ithink it's impressive that in - conference? ithink it's impressive that in a . conference? i think it's - impressive that in a matter of two days or less than a8 hours, they have aligned all of their efforts. that is difficult to do, even when you are prepared for something like this. very much respect for that. i think it speaks to the community and the leadership in that community that they are able to do that. they are facing some significant logistical issues and obviously they are still sort of looking for people. this recovery operation will take at least as many months so what are you anticipating from the scale of damage and how long could it rebuild? could you possibly imagine? i long could it rebuild? could you possibly imagine? i would imaaine you possibly imagine? i would imaginejust _ you possibly imagine? i would imagine just to _ you possibly imagine? i would imagine just to rebuild - you possibly imagine? i would imagine just to rebuild the - imagine just to rebuild the infrastructure a matter of a future upwards of five years. i don't know that obviously they cannot rebuild some of what was lost in the interim. 0bviously

you've placed upwards of 2000 people —— displaced. it's difficult with the economic pressures for affordable housing. hats off to them. salto they have a very good short—term plan and a commitment from all levels to begin to address that but i don't think this is ever going to be ok but i think it's going to be ok but i think it's going to take a number of years before the community returns to some sense of normalcy. rich elliott, chair— some sense of normalcy. rich elliott, chair of _ some sense of normalcy. rich elliott, chair of the _ elliott, chair of the international association of fire chiefs wildland fire policy committee, thank you so much for your analysis and for being with us on bbc news. thank you. being with us on bbc news. thank yon-— thank you. we heard a few minutes — thank you. we heard a few minutes ago _ thank you. we heard a few minutes ago an _ thank you. we heard a few minutes ago an official- thank you. we heard a few i minutes ago an official update on the situation in hawaii, where wildfires have been devastating the island of maui and hawaii's governor called it and hawaii's governor called it a heartbreaking day and the worst natural disaster in the state's history. he said 2000 rooms will be needed to house

those who have been displaced select wasn't of some of