The Biden administration is committed to supporting Hawaii "every step of the way" following the deadly Maui wildfires, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator Deanne Criswell said Monday.

“As residents continue to mourn the loss of their friends, their loved ones, their neighbors, the loss of their homes and their way of life, we know, and let them know that we are mourning with them,” Criswell said during the White House press briefing. “Nothing can prepare you for what I saw during my time here, and nothing can prepare them for the emotional toll of the impact that this severe event has taken on them.” 

The FEMA administrator told reporters she’s been “in continuous communication with the president since these fires started,” adding she’s been giving Biden “and his team updates, letting him know what the federal family is doing to support everything that Gov. (Josh) Green has asked for.” 

Pressed if President Joe Biden plans to visit Maui to survey damage from the wildfires on the island, Criswell declined to say if there was a visit from the president scheduled. 

“Right now, our focus is on making sure that we are doing everything we can to account for everybody that has been unaccounted for — and the President has given me the space to make sure I'm bringing in all of the appropriate federal personnel and resources to do that ... We want to make sure that they have, you know, all of the resources and the space that they need and not disrupt operations right now," she said.

Later on in the briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed there are no plans in place for Biden to visit Hawaii after the wildfires.

Criswell, who arrived on the ground in Hawaii in the early hours of Saturday morning, highlighted the federal response, noting the FEMA activated its transitional sheltering assistance program while partnering with AirBnB and hotels to “make sure that everyone finds a temporary solution as they begin to develop their plans for rebuilding.” 

And she touted “a whole of government approach,” from “dozens of our partner agencies to make sure that we have all of the right resources to support the recovery needs for this area and to make sure that we are successful in providing relief to survivors.” 

As part of those efforts, she pointed to work with local partners “to ensure that our outreach and our messaging is also culturally responsive, and that we can get messages out to people so they know what is available to them.”