US military deployed helicopters, personnel to help those in Maui | Fact check

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·5 min read
3

The claim: The US hasn't shown support 'surge' for Maui like it did for Ukraine

An Aug. 13 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) features a screenshot of a post on X, formerly Twitter, about the wildfires in Maui, Hawaii.

"Maui is 100 miles from one the biggest US bases in the country," reads the post. "The death toll is above 50+ and many more missing. Where is the surge of support for Americans? Where are the military helos and planes? If we can surge for Ukraine why can’t we surge for our own country?"

The Instagram post garnered more than 50,000 likes in four days, while the original post on X garnered more than 6,000 likes in three days. The claim has also been shared elsewhere on Instagram and Facebook.

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Our rating: False

Though the "surge" term used in the post is vague, it's a misleading summary of the U.S. response in Hawaii, which has involved a wide array of resources and federal agencies. Within two days, National Guard personnel dropped 100,000 gallons of water onto fires, and the U.S. Coast Guard assisted in rescuing 14 people, according to the Defense Department. The comparison to Ukraine is flawed because the U.S. isn't fighting in the Ukraine.

US military has provided helicopters, troops to help in Maui

The death toll from the wildfires in Maui rose to more than 100 as of Aug. 16, making the fires the deadliest in the country in the past century. Fire crews continue to extinguish the remaining fires and search for those who are missing.

The post is wrong to claim the U.S. and its military did not quickly aid in these efforts.

The wildfires began on Aug. 8. In an Aug. 9 statement, President Joe Biden ordered all available federal assets on the islands to help with the response effort, mobilizing the National Guard, Army, Navy and Coast Guard. The next day, he declared the situation a "major disaster," approving federal funding for those affected in Maui as well.

Contrary to the post's claim, three Chinook helicopters, two Black Hawk helicopters and two Seahawk helicopters were mobilized to assist with firefighting and search and rescue missions, according to an Aug. 10 statement published by the Department of Defense. It said 134 National Guard troops also provided support to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and local law enforcement.

The National Guard completed 58 aerial water drops totaling more than 100,000 gallons of water within five hours the day after the fires began. The Coast Guard aided in the rescue of 14 people, the Defense Department said.

As of Aug. 15, nearly 500 federal personnel had been dispatched to Maui to assist those in need, according to a White House fact sheet.

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The U.S. has provided more than just military assistance as well.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency deployed personnel, authorized payments for those displaced from their homes and provided meals, water and shelter supplies.

The Department of Transportation worked with commercial airlines to evacuate tourists from Maui, and the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture are prepared to support post-fire recovery efforts, Biden said in his Aug. 9 statement.

Numerous other government organizations, including the Small Business Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Forest Service, have also pitched in to help those affected by the wildfires in Maui, the White House fact sheet said.

US military aid to Ukraine has been limited

Though the U.S. has provided financial aid, military equipment and a small number of personnel for security reasons, the Instagram post implies there has been greater support for Ukraine. This is a flawed comparison since the circumstances are drastically different (natural disaster v. war), but it's also wrong since the post attempts to compare military involvement and the U.S. is not fighting in Ukraine.

Lt. Col. Garron J. Garn, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense, previously told USA TODAY there are no U.S. personnel fighting in Ukraine.

"There is a small Department of Defense presence at the U.S. Embassy-Kyiv performing embassy security functions at the request of the U.S. State Department, in coordination with the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service," Garn said in an email. "This is not unique to Ukraine. Department of Defense personnel provide embassy security services all over the world."

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh reiterated this fact in an April 17 press briefing.

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The U.S. has invested more than $43 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched its initial attack in February 2022, according to an Aug. 14 fact sheet published by the U.S. Department of State. This has come in the form of various types of military equipment, including air defense weapons, firearms, ground maneuvering systems and ammunition.

As of June 16, the U.S. had also provided Ukraine with more than $2.1 billion in humanitarian aid, the State Department reported.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the posts on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US military is providing assistance to Maui during fires | Fact check