The beautiful island of Maui in Hawaii is currently experiencing one of the most dangerous wildfires of the century. Recently, President Joe Biden also toured the area to assess the damages following the disaster. According to BBC News, he said that the country “grieves with you” to the survivors after the deadliest US disaster. However, the gravity and seriousness of the situation are hindering the implementation of aid efforts.

Alongside this natural disaster, another calamity has struck the US, specifically California, in the form of a rainstorm. The government has also provided aid for this situation, but the amount allocated for California is significantly higher than the aid provided for Maui. This matter of governmental aid has recently been criticized by the 11-time world surfing champion, Kelly Slater, who shared his statement on Instagram.

Kelly Slater condemns the government over Maui wildfire

The 51-year-old surfer, Kelly Slater, has criticized the US government for conflating the aid for Maui with that for the California storm and the conflict in Ukraine. According to The Inertia, Slater posted on his Instagram stories and said, “California Governor declared a state of emergency over a mild rain storm. @potus just asked for $40B more for Ukraine in the past week. All the while Maui fire residents are being offered a one-time $700 payment from the federal government. Seems we’ve got a few things backwards to me.”

Prior to Slater’s statement, the US government responded to the Maui aid by detailing all the accommodations provided. This included deploying one thousand federal personnel on the ground, along with 450 search and rescue members. Additionally, they supplied 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water, 5,000 cots, 10,000 blankets, and various shelter supplies. Furthermore, an assistance package of 8.2 million dollars is allocated for addressing the damages. Despite these efforts, considering the severity of the disaster, Slater argues that the government should have provided even more substantial assistance. Slater’s criticism is not isolated, as locals are expressing similar sentiments.

Maui locals denouncing government’s response 

A Maui local, Kai Lenny, criticized the government’s response to this wildest calamity. After the first week of fire relief aid by the US government, Lenny said, “I haven’t seen one state, one county, one federal official at any one of the donation hubs where people are most suffering. People are sleeping in their cars. People are asking for specific items now.” This catastrophe has resulted in the loss of over 100 lives in Maui, with over 1300 people still reported as missing. It represents the most dire scenario imaginable for such a somber city.

Read More: “Where Are They?”: Terrifying Maui Wildfires Make Surfing Icon Kai Lenny Fire Back at the Government

Many more prominent celebrities and athletes stepped up to provide their help for Maui. Along with them, the World Champion surfer Kelly Slater also revealed his plans on helping Lahaina. He expressed his grief for the survivors who lost everything in the wildfire and said, “It makes me want to cry.”

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