Maui wildfires updates: President Biden, first lady get firsthand look at damage

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency updated reporters Monday afternoon about their current efforts on the island and said the operations aren't considered solely a recovery effort yet, despite the use of cadaver dogs.

"We know that there are people not yet accounted for, but we anticipate that there are people who have just moved to different locations either in Maui, different islands in Hawaii, or perhaps even the mainland with loved ones and family members," Jeremy Greenberg, FEMA's director for the Operations Division, said.

Tonya Hoover, the deputy U.S. fire administrator at the U.S. Fire Administration, told reporters that high winds complicated fire mitigation efforts. She added that many local firefighters lost their homes in the wildfires.

"As you might imagine, seeing the fires effect on their community and their own losses have taken an emotional toll on them as well," Hoover said.

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty

Wildfires crept up on Maui residents and tourists on Aug. 8, as a perfect storm of strong winds and dry conditions left the island vulnerable to what state officials say has become the deadliest natural disaster in the state's history.

Deanne Criswell, the administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told reporters during a briefing at the White House Monday that she believes the government has enough resources and staff on the ground in Maui.

"At this point, I have no awareness of anything that we have not been able to meet, and we'll continue to build up our presence here on the island to support this," Criswell said when asked by ABC News' Mary Bruce if there were any delays.

She also emphasized that FEMA is continuing to work on better understanding what’s needed and what might be needed "a week from now, two weeks from now."

White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre said there are currently over 300 FEMA employees, 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water, 5,000 cots and 10,000 blankets on the ground.

Criswell added the agency has "the right amount of personnel on the ground integrated with the local officials" to conduct search and recovery missions.

Criswell declined to give a timeline on how long that search would take.

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett

Winds are expected to increase in Hawaii this week as another high pressure builds to the north and a tropical cyclone passes to the south. However, they won’t be as strong as they were last week.

The latest weather forecast shows gusts will exceed 30 mph across the archipelago state from Tuesday through Thursday.

The wind speeds are forecast to ease by Friday.

This comes as firefighters struggle to contain deadly wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

-ABC News' Max Golembo