Sacramento District team members aid in Maui wildfire recovery mission

Photo By John Daves | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractors utilize equipment to move and separate metal...... read more read more

Photo By John Daves | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractors utilize equipment to move and separate metal debris at the Pioneer Mill collection site in West Maui, Feb. 24, 2024. USACE is overseeing the debris removal mission under a Federal Emergency Management Agency mission assignment, which is part of a coordinated effort with the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency, the County of Maui and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to clean up areas of the island affected by the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires. (USACE Photo by John Daves)  see less | View Image Page

UNITED STATES

04.19.2024

Story by Grant Okubo 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District

✔ ✗ Subscribe

10

It has been several months since the devastating wildfire disaster swept through portions of Maui, including Kula and the historic town of Lahaina, the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. The fires destroyed more than 2,200 properties and countless historical sites.

Since the wildfires on Aug. 8, 2023, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has partnered with county, state, and federal responders to aid in the recovery mission. USACE Sacramento District team members have continued assisting in the cleanup and debris removal process and assisting with the critical public facilities. More recently, USACE received the mission from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist in building temporary housing, which is still in its early phases.

The Sacramento District has deployed 11 team members since August, with a few teammates deploying multiple times in support of the wildfire recovery mission.

"It looked like a warzone," said Cory Koger, who deployed as a debris subject matter expert from the Sacramento District. "In some instances, it was similar to what we saw at the Paradise Fire, where the whole town had been destroyed."

Reactions from others initially seeing the devastation echoed Koger’s sentiment.

"You don't quite grasp it until you get there," said Todd Turner, who deployed on the mission as a debris action officer. "It's pretty sobering. I've worked a couple of fires, and to see the sheer magnitude is something to behold."

"I can't even fathom what people went through at that time," said Rosamarie Sotelo, who arrived with the Planning and Response Team as a data manager but later volunteered as a call center operator. "These houses were passed on from generation to generation. This is something that they'll never be able to get back."

Understanding cultural and historical sensitivities was critical as responders arrived on the island.

USACE members received in-depth training to educate the team about how to identify cultural or historically significant items to better serve the local community. The training also gave a greater understanding of the importance and significance of the area.

"I've been through it four times myself, and I still keep learning things," said Koger, who is on his eighth fire deployment. "It's understanding that there's an underlying goal that may not just be to get this done quickly, it's to get it done correctly."

"When we go to a site, we want to make sure that we don't remove anything that is of historical or cultural importance," said Sotelo. "I can understand how some people are just wanting to get the show on the road, and they just want to get back to their normal life. I also understand that there are other families that have their lives on that property. And, you know, they have ancestors that may be buried, or pets buried, or things that they don't want to lose during this debris removal process. So, we have to be very careful, which means you don't just back a truck up and throw it away.”

While working at the call center, Sotelo staffed the hotline and said she was able to interact with property owners directly impacted by the fire, answering questions regarding the debris removal process and their application status. Sotelo also helped direct callers looking for resources to the proper county or other agencies for assistance.

"There were a lot of people that just needed information," said Sotelo.

For the fire debris mission, Koger was one of the first USACE employees to deploy. His role was to scope the mission for FEMA, determine cost estimates, and schedule potential contracting pathways for that mission, he said.

"Early on, the question from FEMA is ‘How much is this going to cost and how long is it going to take’," said Koger. "The state or municipality that's been impacted has the option to perform the debris cleanup themselves. We provide technical assistance to FEMA and that entity during the initial response to see if they're going to take the mission or if they will request direct federal assistance from FEMA. If that’s the case, then FEMA assigns the debris mission to USACE."

USACE also helped stand up the Debris Task Force with local agencies, including the police and the Department of Transportation.

"It's pretty high-level planning," said Koger. "We knew this was not going to be a normal job or normal work site. We had a significant loss of life, and that changes the nature of how we're approaching this. And over and above that is the cultural significance of Lahaina itself. There are also a lot of archaeological sites where we have to do 100% archaeological assessments on every property. So understanding our role in a culturally sensitive area where we still have to do an emergency response mission was, and will continue to be, probably the most difficult part."

James Robb, who deployed as the assistant team leader during the wildfire recovery mission, said there was a lot to coordinate at the start with the debris team in Maui to get the lay of the land and understand where the different mission areas were.

“It’s about making sure that we get the authorization to do our missions and get the funding to do our missions,” said Robb. “The flip side of that is communicating to FEMA so that they have information about how the missions are going, how soon we’re going to be able to execute, and whether or not we’re performing our duties up to their standards and meeting their objectives.”

The team recently celebrated a major achievement associated with our critical public facilities mission – installation and turn-over of the temporary King Kamehameha III Elementary School in Lahaina on Feb. 27, 2024, to the Hawai‘i State Department of Education.

For a number of the deploying members from the Sacramento District, the mission continues, with many staying on and some returning stateside temporarily before heading back for an additional rotation, assisting in the remaining phases of the recovery mission.

Some members like Sotello, said she plans to redeploy in June taking on a different role, this time as part of the planning team as well as applying to join the Local Government Liaison cadre, which assist in providing critical communication between FEMA, the state, local officials, and USACE.

“This experience has had such an impact on me,” said Sotelo. “Seeing what they do and how their assistance impacts the community. That’s enough for me to want to do it.”

If you’re at the Sacramento District and interested in deploying in support of future disaster response missions or have questions, please email: cespk-eoc@usace.army.mil