Three Years After Lahaina Fire, Health Study’s Future Is Unsure

Three years after the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires on Maui, many Lahaina residents are still dealing with the health effects, and a University of Hawai‘i study that tracks them might be shutting down, Honolulu Civil Beat reported. The fires destroyed more than 2,200 buildings and killed more than 100 people, according to the outlet, and nearly 13,000 people were displaced.

The Maui Wildfire Exposure Study, known as MauiWES, measures the health impacts of the fires and helps survivors get care. Civil Beat reported that keeping it funded has been an ongoing struggle, and that organizers held a weekend event in May to collect survivors’ health information for what they feared could be the last time.

One family’s three years of displacement

Civil Beat followed the Burke family of Lahaina. Mikey Burke, 42, a mother of four, her husband Rob, their four sons and four dogs moved between the homes of family and friends and hotel rooms. They now live in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom rental. The day after Mikey Burke’s acupuncture appointment in May, a construction crew was set to pour the foundation of the family’s new house.

She told Civil Beat that the fire was “a point in time,” and that the harder part has been the slow fallout since: lost neighbors who were priced out, disputes over water and land, and the strain on her family’s mental health.

What the study found for the Burkes

The family joined MauiWES, and Civil Beat reported that it was through the study that Burke learned her twin sons, then 10, were showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. The study also helped enroll them in therapy. The twins now attend therapy and a weekly video gaming group at the Lahaina Comprehensive Health Center, a state-run facility.

Their parents said Kaleohano began having nightmares, while Makoa, who had been a fiercely independent child, became distressed at any hint of separation. Smoke from a neighbor’s barbecue could unsettle them until their parents showed them its source.

Testing through MauiWES also showed that Rob Burke, like many wildfire survivors on Maui including his wife, had elevated levels of heavy metals in his body and breathing problems, according to Civil Beat. He has also dealt with skin cancer, and had an appointment in September to remove a lesion from his nose.

Care at the Lahaina health center

Noelani Ahia, 51, an acupuncturist and Hawaiian healer, directs Maui Medic Healers Hui, a community organization that operates from the health center. She blends Hawaiian healing with traditional Chinese medicine. Ahia co-founded the group’s precursor in 2019 to care for protesters opposing an observatory on Mauna Kea, and the group turned to supporting fire survivors after 2023.

“Pretty much no one is fine,” Ahia told Civil Beat. Burke said some people she meets still have not heard of the health center or MauiWES, having been consumed by day-to-day survival.

Why it matters

The Burkes’ experience shows health effects that surfaced well after the fire itself: trauma symptoms in children, elevated heavy metals and breathing problems in adults. Burke told Civil Beat that without ongoing tracking, no one would know years from now how the fires changed her community. The study’s funding status is uncertain, according to the outlet.

Civil Beat also described the fires’ effect on long-running disputes in West Maui. The outlet reported that they added fuel to the water conflict and raised challenges to land ownership for Native Hawaiian and other long-time local families, who face insurance shortfalls, foreclosure threats, complicated rebuilding requirements and long housing waitlists. Burke helped found the Lahaina Community Land Trust, a nonprofit that works to help families rebuild and keep land in local hands.

What is not yet clear

Civil Beat said MauiWES “might be shutting down for good,” and did not report a final decision or a closing date in the portion of the story available here. Readers seeking health resources can contact local health and emergency officials.

Source: Honolulu Civil Beat