President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were given an overview of the massive fire damage suffered by Lahaina town on their visit Monday. And at the Lahaina Civic Center, Biden met with Maui residents who had been invited to share their experience and express their opinions on the island’s needs after the deadly August 8 fires.

The president’s remarks made it clear that he’d heard from survivors who fear being shut out of participation in deciding how to rebuild.

“We will be respectful of the sacred grounds and traditions and rebuild the way the people of Maui want to build — not the way others want to build,” he said, as Maui’s mayor and Hawaii’s governor looked on.