Lareesa is a resident of Lahaina and former employee to co-host Chuck Warren. Her views are her own but she is on the ground and the report is a compilation of hundreds of conversations she is having with her fellow neighbors and volunteers. The tragedy is Lahaina and the follow-up is not being covered by mainstream media or being sanitized by news outlets.
By Lareesa Butters, Resident of Lahaina
Lahaina public schools near the burn zone are set to reopen October 16th, putting our most vulnerable children at avoidable risk for long-term health concerns.
Nestled directly above the destroyed remnants of Lahaina town, along a dead-end road, sit three of the four public schools for the West Maui students. The only thing separating these homes and schools from the toxic ash and devastated town is a single 4 lane highway that now hosts the memorial of crosses and ribbons for the ones lost and missing.
The top of the hill is Lahainaluna High School campus where 1,050 students, grades 9-12, attend. Immediately below the high school campus is Lahaina Intermediate School, serving 658 students, grades 6-8. Adjacent to that is Princess Nahienaena Elementary School, home to 665 pre-k - 5th grade students. With Kamehameha III being completely destroyed down on Front Street, the plan is to have those additional 646 students in portable classrooms on the Princess Nahienaena property until the temporary school in Kahana is completed.
Satellite view of all 3 schools at top of the hill, destroyed neighborhoods below and single access road. PC google earth
Traffic on this narrow 2 lane residential street going up the hill from the now destroyed Honoapiilani Highway during school hours was always hectic and slow. Now, with one of the access points to this road gone, the only other way in and out is from the bypass on-ramps.
Image at the bottom of the narrow Lahainaluna Road leading up to all 3 schools. PC google earth
Emergency evacuation routes are non-existent. Anxieties are high with the idea of a potential 3,019 students being trapped at the top of the hill with no exit route at the beginning of hurricane season, where high winds and storms are still expected over the coming months. Lahainaluna Road has had three major fires in the last four years alone. Many believe the push to reopen the schools quickly is driven by the economic agenda to reopen for tourists, further adding to the distress of traumatized families.
Residents have voiced their concerns on deaf ears about the safety of the water and air quality for our children, especially as the next phases of clean up commence. When the wind blows mauka, or mountain direction, the asbestos, arsenic, lead and other toxic chemicals still found in the ash and dirt will litter the air of our youngest children first. Air quality sensors are set up around the campus to alert of quality changes, but the potential risk of exposure is still high. The sites remain largely undisturbed but continuous oversight is imperative to monitor as heavy machinery could release toxic dust into the air.
On October 11th, Senator McKelvey submitted a letter to Superintendent Keith Hyashi expressing his profound concerns about the safety of reopening the Lahaina schools situated near the burn zones and requested a proactive approach to keep our children safe. In the letter, he stated, “It is my understanding that the Hawaii State Dept of Health (DOH) holds oversight over construction sites, particularly those with potential hazardous materials, and per DOH rules concerning fugitive dust, no visible dust should cross the property line. While dust control and rules governing fugitive dust fall under the jurisdiction of the DOH, it is the Department of Education (DOE) that holds the ultimate responsibility to ensure that these rules are strictly adhered to when it concerns our educational institutions.”
The Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response (HEER) within the DOH hasn’t conducted threat assessments, testing or sampling in the burn zone as they are waiting on the EPA investigation to be complete. Senator McKelvey continued, “I urgently request information on when the EPA’s findings will be available to HEER. Until a clear timeline is established, and comprehensive testing completed, I firmly believe that opening schools is premature.”
Parents and teachers of the Hawaiian immersion program at Princess Nahienaena Elementary School had a safe alternative for a satellite site further north. The architect had already drafted the blueprint, the land and construction components were ready to go, the donors were all in, and the pods were available. However, it was ultimately shot down by the superintendent.
The well-being of our children, educators and community must always come first. I’ve seen enough 2 am infomercials on mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure. How do we move forward to secure economic stability when our safety and the safety of our most vulnerable and valuable family members continue to be ignored?
Lareesa Butters is a longtime resident of Lahaina and friend of the show, Breaking Battlegrounds.