The state Department of Health has placed more air monitors in and around Kula and Lāhainā in response to the concerns of local residents.
Monitors are already in place at schools in the area and have recently been added in high schools on Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi, according to Kathleen Ho, the department's deputy director of environmental health.
Ho said Kula residents have also been concerned about the ash that may be displaced during debris removal work by the Army Corps of Engineers.
“We have brought those concerns to the Corps of Engineers, who is doing the removal, and we will continue to advocate for the safety of the people who live in and around the burn area. I do know that it is a very big concern to keep the ash away from drains and storm drains — rivers, streams and the near shore waters. There is mitigation," she told HPR.
She said 50 air quality monitors have been installed, and nearly 50 more will be coming in the near future.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Oct. 30, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
