US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill will visit Hawaii next week after the deadliest US wildfire in over a century killed at least 106 people there, the White House has said.
Next Monday, Mr Biden and his wife will "meet with first responders, survivors, as well as federal, state, and local officials" on Maui, according to a White House press release.
A week after wildfires burned the Hawaiian resort town of Lahaina, Maui residents have grown weary from living off relief supplies, while many are kept from inspecting their homes and still left awaiting news about their missing loved ones.
The magnitude of the fire, which charred a 13sq/km area of the town in hours, combined with the logistical challenges of recovery have taken a toll on many of Lahaina's 13,000 year-round residents.
Even as donations have poured in and Hawaii, and federal officials have promised vast resources to aid in the recovery, Kanamu Balinbin, a local football coach, took matters into his own hands, setting up a relief camp so that people who lost their homes and belongings could find water and food.
"I was devastated. I consider myself a strong leader, but it broke me," Mr Balinbin said about his emotions after witnessing the destruction.
"This is what keeps me going, helping people. A lot of us are at that stage," he added.
He said some of the local frustration stemmed from the longstanding perception that Maui does not receive enough attention from the state government despite its robust tourism revenues.
Mary Kerstulovich, a Maui property agent who has sought supplies and housing for evacuees, said there was finally a sense government relief was arriving a full week after the disaster, but she said Lahaina still needed a more effective plan to obtain goods.
"There is still a lot of chaos. People need supplies still," Ms Kerstulovich said.
Keith Turi, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) deputy associate administrator for response and recovery, acknowledged the deep sense of loss felt by survivors, but said FEMA had a warehouse of supplies in Hawaii and was working with state and county officials to supply shelters and relief operations.
"In the days immediately after something like this, there's a range of frustrations and challenges. But we feel like that in coordination with our partners that we are well positioned to be providing that support," Mr Turi told reporters.
The fire destroyed or damaged more than 2,200 buildings, 86% of them residential, and caused an estimated $5.5 billion (€5bn) in damage, officials said.
Adding to the local frustration, few residents have been permitted back into Lahaina to visit their properties.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced last night that Lahaina residents and employees would be allowed onto a highway leading to town.
A previous relaxation of the road closure was soon halted after curiosity seekers clogged streets being used by rescue workers.
Meanwhile, up to 20 cadaver dogs have led search teams on a block-by-block search of the ashes, covering 27% of the disaster area as of yesterday, Mr Green said in a televised address.
Only three of the deceased had been officially identified as of Monday, police said, but stories about those who died have begun to emerge from friends and relatives.
On the fundraising website GoFundMe, relatives of Kevin and Saane Tanaka said Saane's sister, seven-year-old nephew and parents were found in a burned-out car near their home.
"Words cannot express how devastating this is for the family," the post said, noting that the Tanakas have had no time to grieve after taking in more than a dozen other displaced relatives.
Another post described how Joe Schilling - "Uncle Joe" to his adopted family, the Bluhs - died while helping five elderly people escape from his housing complex.
"He was known as 'Funcle Joe' for a reason," Akiva Bluh said.
"Whether it be the trips to go bullet-shell hunting or staying up late while my parents were gone so he could sneak us his famous sugar toast, he was always willing to act out of love and kindness towards myself and my brothers."
Officially, the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but the New York Times, citing interviews and video evidence, reported the brush fire that spread into Lahaina started from a broken power line.
Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura did not address the cause of the fire in a press conference on Monday night, when she defended the company's decision against turning off power during the powerful winds.
She said a shutdown could have cut off the water supply for firefighters and harmed people who rely on powered medical equipment.
