Maui wildfires one year later: UH research continues to assess impacts, support recovery

August 2024, marks the first anniversary of the Aug. 8 wildfire that resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people, the destruction of thousands of homes and structures, and devastation of historic Lahaina and its entire community.

Within days of the worst natural disaster in state history, University of Hawaiʻi researchers began providing assistance and support on multiple fronts, including providing direct support and assessing the environmental impact and the long-term health outcomes of residents. They have also studied how to improve disaster preparedness and wildfire mitigation efforts and worked to determine the short- and long-term economic impacts.

“Our researchers come from a wide variety of disciplines and were united in bringing together their diverse expertise and experience to help the people of Lahaina and all of Maui,” said UH President David Lassner. “Their efforts over this first year and the work that will continue for years to come will help make Hawaiʻi more resilient so that we can prevent another tragedy like this from occurring again.”

Here is some of the work related to the devastating Maui wildfires being conducted by UH researchers.

Human Health, Trauma Impacts, Initiatives

• The Maui Wildfire Exposure Study—A comprehensive health study of 679 Maui residents examines the health outcomes from exposure to environmental hazards caused by the fire. The first results are in, and the tests will be repeated annually over ten years to determine long-term impacts. Two-thirds of the participants resided in Lahaina at the time of the fire, and the others either worked in Lahaina or resided or worked in fire-affected areas in Kula, Maui. 
• A five-year, $3.8-million study on Population Health and Health System Resiliency Following Maui’s Wildfire Disaster funded by the National Institutes of Health is looking into the government’s response to the Lahaina wildfire and its impact on residents. That includes the physical and mental health needs of affected residents and if pre-existing health disparities were made worse for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Filipino, and Mexican communities.
• **An investigation into the risk and prevalence of lung infections in residents exposed to wildfire pollutants using microbiological and molecular analyses. Read more about UH’s NSF RAPID projects.
• **A collaboration with the Maui community to develop trauma-informed STEM education programs that help youth process and recover from wildfire impacts. Read more about UH’s NSF RAPID projects.

Environmental Impacts

• **A study of the coral reefs’ stress responses to contaminants from urban fires, focusing on changes in water quality and coral health. Read more about UH’s NSF RAPID projects.
• **An analysis of post-wildfire drinking water contamination, focusing on the transport and impact of hazardous chemicals in water sources. Read more about UH’s NSF RAPID projects.
• **An evaluation of the impact of wildfire-released volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, and microbial pathogens on coastal waters’ chemical and microbiological quality using sediment, surface water and groundwater samples. Read more about UH’s NSF RAPID projects
• **A survey and collection of post-fire runoff and sediment samples to study the transport and deposition of contaminants in coastal and riverine ecosystems. Read more about UH’s NSF RAPID projects.
• **A Measurement of indoor and outdoor levels of volatile organic compounds and more in Maui residences post-wildfire to assess the effectiveness of air and carbon filters. Read more about UH’s NSF RAPID projects.
• A $4.6 million federally funded project that looks at restoring ecosystems with non-invasive and native plants to alleviate the threat of wildfires. There are more than 1 million acres of fire-prone non-native vegetation in Hawaiʻi.

Disaster Preparedness and Response

• A new wildfire forecast system using artificial intelligence to enhance public safety, preparedness, and risk mitigation, and reduce the overall impacts of wildfire. The early detection system will allow authorities to issue timely warnings and enable the broader community to take proactive measures, such as evacuation planning and home-risk mitigation.
• **An investigation of the compounding impacts of Maui wildfires and Hurricane Dora on resident and tourist evacuation behavior in response to infrastructure failures. Read more about UH’s NSFRAPID projects.
• **The development of computational models for wildfire spread incorporating human activity data. Read more about UH’s NSF RAPID projects.
• **The development of models to predict wildfire potential on sub-seasonal to seasonal timescales, aiming to improve preparedness and response. Read more about UH’s NSF RAPID projects.
• **The development of an AI-enhanced sensor system to monitor and detect multi-hazard conditions such as fires, winds and floods near the Lahaina burn site. Read more about UH’s NSFRAPID projects.

**Notes: NSF RAPID-funded projects—more than 30 UH researchers are involved in about a dozen National Science Foundation Rapid Response Research projects to address air and water quality, public health, ecosystem resilience, and community evacuation responses. Read more about UH’s NSF RAPID projects.

Economic Impacts

• The first comprehensive housing factbook since the Maui wildfires underscored the bleak state of housing affordability across the state was released by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO), hoping to contribute to better-informed policy solutions to the ongoing housing crisis.
• UHERO also addressed the Maui housing shortage through analysis of vacation rentals and exploring the possibility of leveraging these properties into long-term residential housing.

*This story was originally published in UH News