During an interview with ABC News on Tuesday, FEMA spokesperson John Mills responded to the Department of Defense punting questions on disaster relief in Hawaii to FEMA by stating that “The state is in charge, and Maui County plays an outsized role in requests.” And answered a question on who is ultimately responsible by stating that “We’re listening to local officials about where our staff can deliver the most good.”
After playing clips of Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh referring questions on the deployment of troops in Hawaii and evacuations to FEMA, host Linsey Davis asked, “So, as you see there, pretty much every answer was, well, this has to do with FEMA. You have to ask FEMA, you have to ask FEMA. So, just today, we do know that FEMA did approve some of these missions for active duty military, but many are asking, why did it take so long?”
Mills responded, “The entire federal government is involved in the response here in Maui. FEMA is here in a support role as the lead federal coordinating agency. The state is in charge, and Maui County plays an outsized role in requests. Maui County may make requests to the state and FEMA stands ready to support those requests that go to the state.”
Later, in response to a question on who is ultimately responsible, Mills stated, “We’re listening to local officials about where our staff can deliver the most good. And so, that’s why we work closely with the county to decide where our teams can be most effective in [the] coming days.”
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