skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


Title: Two weeks after the 2023 Maui wildfires: drinking water experiences and needs
To understand community impacts and needs after the August 2023 Maui wildfires, we conducted a rapid survey-based field investigation two weeks after the incident. During the fires, municipal water customers were warned not to use their water due to potential drinking water contamination. Household displacement and isolation of some impacted areas limited extensive study participation. Households (14) in the affected areas were visited and surveyed about property characteristics, evacuation, water use, and water quality observations. Publicly available test results from Maui County and the University of Hawai'i were also reviewed. Opportunistically, wildfire impacts to agricultural water systems were documented. Half of the households had property damage, and all lost power and used drinking water before being notified that it was potentially contaminated. Nearly all households expressed confusion about allowable water use activities and health risks. Most households noticed water issues after the evacuation order was lifted, and some acquired and used at-home drinking water test kits. None of these kits could find all previously identified fire-related chemicals. Damage to agricultural water systems was similar to damage seen for residential systems. Recommendations to lessen impacts and expedite community response and recovery from wildfires are provided.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2214580
PAR ID:
10569693
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
The Royal Society of Chemistry
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology
Volume:
10
Issue:
10
ISSN:
2053-1400
Page Range / eLocation ID:
2341 to 2356
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
Wildfire Disaster Water Household Contamination Health Plumbing
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; (, Designsafe-CI)
    This project for Rapid Response Research (RAPID) project collects ephemeral data to better understand the compounding impacts of Maui wildfires and Hurricane Dora and reveal residents' behavioral responses as affected by infrastructure failures. It examines the sources of warning information, protective action decision-making, and evacuation logistics at the individual level. In the meantime, the project captures the operation states of disaster warning operations in Maui under the loss of cell and electric power services. Failures at each system are documented, as well as the cascading effect among inter-connected infrastructure systems. The research outcomes expand the existing body of scientific knowledge on warning and evacuation while advancing the understanding of informal networks and decision-making in the absence of official guidance. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; (, PLOS Water)
    Rivera-Salazar, Diego (Ed.)
    Traditional water indicators primarily focus on water quantity and quality, but emergent research demonstrates that measurement of lived experiences with water availability, accessibility, and use is important for understanding how household water insecurity impacts health and well-being. Few empirical studies have explored which household water insecurity experiences are most salient, or their potential causes, in Latin American cities. We analyzed data from 266 households in a low-income settlement of Cartagena, Colombia, to identify correlates and perceived determinants of water insecurity. The most prevalent household water insecurity experiences were water supply interruptions (96%), water worry (94%), and anger about the water situation (90%). Unexpected water interruptions and use of non-piped primary drinking water sources were associated with greater household water insecurity scores, water worry subscores, and hygiene subscores. Respondents perceived water issues in their community to be caused by deficiencies in gray infrastructure (49%), which included deficiencies in water distribution, treatment, or storage technologies. Social infrastructure (36%), including issues with political, economic, or administrative systems, was also cited as a barrier to water security. We did not detect significant relationships between water insecurity scores and the attribution of these problems to gray or social infrastructure, but there may be relationships between these factors and duration of residency and using a non-piped water source. These findings underscore the importance of socio-political factors and community engagement for improving urban water insecurity through slum-upgrade projects. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; ; (, Natural Hazards)
    This paper presents the use of tsunami evacuation drills within a coastal community in the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) to better understand evacuation behaviors and thus to improve tsunami evacuation preparedness and resilience. Evacuees’ spatial trajectory data were collected by Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) embedded in mobile devices. Based on the empirical trajectory data, probability functions were employed to model people’s walking speed during the evacuation drills. An Evacuation Hiking Function (EHF) was established to depict the speed–slope relationship and to inform evacuation modeling and planning. The regression analysis showed that evacuees’ speed was significantly negatively associated with slope, time spent during evacuation, rough terrain surface, walking at night, and distance to destination. We also demonstrated the impacts of milling time on mortality rate based on participants’ empirical evacuation behaviors and a state-of-the-art CSZ tsunami inundation model. Post-drill surveys revealed the importance of the drill as an educational and assessment tool. The results of this study can be used for public education, evacuation plan assessment, and evacuation simulation models. The drill procedures, designs, and the use of technology in data collection provide evidence-driven solutions to tsunami preparedness and inspire the use of drills in other types of natural disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, volcanoes, and flooding. 
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ; (, Fire Technology)
    Despite the increase in frequency and intensity of wildfires around the world, little research has examined households’ expectations of evacuation logistics and evacuation time estimate (ETE) components during such rapid-onset disasters. To address this gap, this study analyzes data from 152 household responses affected by the devastating 2018 wildfire in Mati, Greece where the second-deadliest wildfire of the 21st century took place. The questionnaire measured residents’ expectations of how they would respond to a future wildfire. This includes the number of vehicles they would take, their evacuation destination and route choices, and their expected evacuation preparation and travel times. Explanatory variables include risk perceptions, wildfire preparedness, wildfire experience, and demographic characteristics. The univariate results reveal some similarities to, but also some differences from, expected evacuation logistics and ETE components in other natural hazards. Moreover, correlation and regression analyses show that expected evacuation logistics and ETE components are primarily related to wildfire preparedness actions. Comparison of this study’s results with other rapid onset events such as tsunamis and hazardous material incidents, as well as longer onset events such as hurricanes, sheds light on household responses to wildfires. Emergency managers can use the similarities in results across studies to better prepare for wildfire evacuations. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ; (, AWWA Water Science)
    Abstract Following the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado, this study was conducted to better understand private well and plumbing damage and to develop public health guidance. More than 20 post‐fire drinking water well guidance documents with varied recommendations were found. Approximately 227 wells were located in the fire footprint. Seventeen properties were visited, and a subset of wells were sampled for organic and inorganic contaminants. Property debris was also collected. Benzene, toluene, and 19 semi‐volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) were detected in water extracts of property debris. No wells contained volatile organic compound contamination. Two shallow wells (12 and 15 ft) had debris contamination; one well contained notable SVOC contamination. One multi‐home unregulated well system was extensively damaged, lost pressure, and had not been repressurized 11 months after the fire due to financial and technical challenges. Study results highlight the need for follow‐up work to understand well system damage and household response. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email