The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been involved in relief efforts on Maui since the wildfires broke out.
Jeremy Edwards is a press secretary based in Washington, D.C., but he was part of that initial FEMA team that came with the cabinet level Administrator Dianne Criswell last week.
"It definitely had a profound impact on me," he said of seeing the disaster zone.
"I know it had a profound impact on the administrator. I'm sure it had a profound impact on the president. Because it's one thing to read the briefings, see the numbers, watch the news stories. It's an entirely different experience to see it firsthand."
There are currently over 1,000 federal responders on Maui, including 400 search-and-rescue personnel.
This interview aired on The Conversation on August 22, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
