As fire debris removal efforts move forward in Upcountry Maui, residents continue to have health concerns about living in a burn zone.
Cleanup work in Kula led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began last week. Debris removal at the first two burned home sites is complete, with more currently underway.
Cory Koger, an Army Corps debris subject matter expert, said teams first remove recyclable materials like metal and concrete from the property.
“Then the ash and debris that's leftover that can't be recycled is under wet methods, so with misters and sprayers, [then] placed into plastic lined trucks,” he explained. “And once full, those trucks are what's called burrito wrapped, which is basically encapsulated prior to transport to Maui Central Landfill.”
Next, they remove 6 inches of soil impacted by the ash.
“That's also burrito-wrapped and taken to Maui Central, and then finally the foundation will be removed and taken to recycler if possible,” he continued. “And at that point, we'll sample the soil that's left so that we meet the Department of Health residential standards so that folks can rebuild their homes.”
If the first round of testing does not meet those standards, another 6 inches of soil is removed. Koger said they are still awaiting test results from the first sites remediated last week.
Koger said 22 sites are slated for cleanup in Upcountry Maui by December. Then teams will move to similar cleanup efforts in Lahaina, which he estimates will begin in mid-January.
Lahaina's cleanup is awaiting construction of a temporary debris site in West Maui while the county builds a new disposal cell at the Central Maui Landfill, according to Koger.
Kula residents are happy the debris removal efforts are underway in their community but say getting information about the process has been a struggle.
Kyle Ellison of Kula said homeowners of burned properties were recently told they would get 72 hours' notice before removal begins at their site.
However, neighbors living next to the burn sites are not getting notifications.
“We're kind of like, 'How can we tell anyone if they maybe want to sleep elsewhere, if they have any concerns about being right next to this ash that's been proven to be very toxic with high levels of arsenic and lead?’” Ellison said.
“If people don't feel comfortable sleeping right next door while that's being removed, we need to be able to give them some heads up about when it's going to be taking place," he said.
Ellison said there’s also been a lack of recognition among many officials in handling the unique challenges of the upcountry community since the Aug. 8 wildfires.
“One of the differentiating factors has been, unlike Lahaina, where they keep talking about re-entry into burn zones, you can't reenter a place you never exited. Kula people have been living right next door to burned homes for three months,” he explained.
Additionally, health concerns persist among upcountry community members.
On Oct. 15, the state Department of Health released preliminary results from Kula ash samples from eight residential burn sites. The results showed elevated levels of arsenic, cobalt and lead well above the action level. Arsenic levels in particular were “extremely high,” prompting the department’s director to caution residents about its toxicity.
But residents say the DOH has provided little communication since.
Ellison and his neighbors worry about the dangers of living in a burn zone.
“There's a lot of unease and anxiety surrounding the fact that they have been sleeping right next door to a burned home site for three months,” he said. “What may or may not have happened with their body during those three months? What have they been inhaling? There's a complete and utter lack of any information whatsoever.”
HPR reached out to the DOH asking if it's safe for families to be living next to burned home sites and the department has yet to respond.
Upcountry Councilmember Yuki Lei Sugimura held a community meeting last week, and the county is planning weekly meetings with upcountry residents. Sugimura said the DOH is slated to attend in the future, so residents can address their concerns directly.
In the meantime, Ellison and others are left with more questions than answers.
“Maybe everyone's fine. Maybe there's no problem at all, or maybe there's a really big problem, but without any data, we don't know.”
