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

Maui is facing a "very long and hard recovery," FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said at Wednesday's White House briefing.

Criswell called the response a "very active and dynamic situation" with FEMA search and rescue teams continuing to work closely with state officials to look for those who are missing.

She said 30 specialists from the Department of Health and Human Services' mortuary teams are in Maui and will soon be joined by a team from the Department of Defense to help identify loved ones.

At least 40 canine search teams are also on the island, "in addition to hundreds of search and rescue personnel, with more on the way," she said. "We're working carefully to search the affected areas thoroughly and compassionately while respecting all of the cultural sensitivities."

Criswell spoke to how difficult and lengthy this search operation will be for the canines to endure the heat and maneuver through the fire debris.

"They have to deal with issues with their paws, walking through glass and debris. And in these conditions, the dogs require frequent rest, which is why we are sending in additional dogs to augment the operation," she said.

FEMA has given $2.3 million in assistance to families. She said there's resources to pay for home repairs, cars and appliances, but only 1,300 households are registered with FEMA so far.

Before the briefing, Criswell updated President Joe Biden on the recovery efforts. Criswell said Biden spoke with Hawaii's governor again on Wednesday and approved the state's request for 100% reimbursement for the emergency work that's being done "for a period of 30 days within the first 120 days at the governor's choosing."

Criswell said that when Biden visits Maui on Monday, "he's going to be able to bring hope."

"He's going to speak with the governor and the state’s first lady, and talk to survivors and hear their stories," Criswell said. "And it’s that level of hope that I think is going to really be a positive impact for this community."

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

Katie Shannon of the Maui Humane Society estimates that 3,000 pets are missing from wildfire-ravaged Lahaina.

So far, the Maui Humane Society has received 52 injured animals, including some suffering from smoke inhalation and some with burns, Shannon told ABC News.

"We have also seen severe burns -- cats that look, I don't think that their owner may even know that it is their cat because they look so burnt. Their ears are burnt, their faces are burnt. It's just incredibly severe," Shannon said.

The Maui Humane Society is not only sending food and supplies to the hardest-hit areas, but is also trying to reunite owners with their pets. A dog named Roman was separated from his pet sitter during the fire when the sitter jumped into the ocean and Roman refused to follow. Roman, who was missing for a couple days, was found by a good Samaritan, taken to the humane society and, thanks to his microchip, was reunited with his owners.

"That is our goal -- to reunite every pet and owner, and also to provide the lifesaving care that these pets need," Shannon said.

The Maui Humane Society is sending many of the animals it had on site before the fires to the mainland to make room for the animals coming in from the Lahaina area.

-ABC News' Will Carr and Timmy Truong

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Maui on Monday "to meet with first responders, survivors, as well as federal, state, and local officials, in the wake of deadly wildfires on the island," according to the White House.

"In Maui, the President and First Lady will be welcomed by state and local leaders to see firsthand the impacts of the wildfires and the devastating loss of life and land that has occurred on the island, as well as discuss the next steps in the recovery effort," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Wednesday. "The President continues to marshal a whole-of-government response to the deadly Maui fires, and he has committed to delivering everything that the people of Hawaii need from the federal government as they recover from this disaster."

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Wednesday that many of those killed by the wildfires on Maui have been found near the ocean.

The death toll currently stands at 106, while 27% of the affected area "has been covered," according to Green.

"Although many of the fatalities were on the road down by the sea," the governor told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview Wednesday on "Good Morning America."

"We have an enormous team on the ground," he added.

There are 185 rescuers with 20 dogs in the "impact zone" going through each building and house, or what's left of them. They are now "moving from initial phase of the recovery deep into the acute phase," according to Green.

The governor told ABC News that the death toll "will increase," but officials "hope" the figure won’t reach "further catastrophic proportions."

"We just don't know yet," he said.

A road running east to west on Maui was reopened Wednesday night. From 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time, people can drive "freely" on that road across the island. The National Guard will be stationed alongside the road so members of the public can’t go into the affected area. From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time, the road will be closed except for emergency drop-offs and local residents, according to Green.

"We have to be very careful not to disturb the scene so we can do the necessary recovery," he said.

The governor told ABC News that he’s made "multiple trips" into the "impact zone."

"This was a tragic combination of both a fire and a hurricane, which meant that, well, extremely high temperatures were traveling at 60 to 81 mph and it swept through, in some cases melting metal and granite and engine blocks -- that's how hot it was," he said. "So it's a very delicate scene. There are toxic metals and asbestos down there."

Green expressed how "grateful" he and the rest of Hawaii is "for everyone's outpouring of support."

"Though the workload's extraordinary and our hearts are broken, we will get through it," he added. "We just are still kind of in the thick of doing recovery."

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Hawaii governor details recovery efforts in Maui fireGov. Josh Green shares an update on the damage after the deadly wildfire that has claimed at least 106 lives.

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