More than a thousand families attended the public town hall meeting at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii with Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro to detail their health issues and demand answers and solutions following the harrowing discovery of their tap water contamination.
According to Military Times, emotional families told authorities during the four-hour town hall meeting that they were given unclear and conflicting information about the tap water contamination. They also asked why no one in command bothered to go door to door to notify them earlier or supply them with potable drinking water, except for the 25th Infantry Division soldiers for a handful of homes.
On November 22, the Navy revealed that 14,000 gallons of fuel from a storage facility spilled over the town's tap water supply, prompting a closure of the site nearest to the residential areas. The Navy also flushed clean water in the system to remove the petroleum products.
However, since the incident, residents have complained of stomach pain, headaches, and other health issues as a fuel-like odor emitted from their tap water sources. Locals said that the smell of fuel occurred on November 28, but they experienced unexplained health issues nearly a week before observing that something was wrong with their water supply.
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'Most Catastrophic Scenario'
"I'm here to ask why you did not protect us (when) the most catastrophic real life scenario happened in excess," mom Lauren Bauer asked, who has been drinking spoiled tap water while nursing a 13-month-old baby. She also directed her questions to the Hawaii Board of Health and Water, which obtained "incriminating" water test results for July, August, and September but didn't raise any warning signs until late November.
Bauer said she is worried for her baby, who has been bathing in water mixed with fuel. The mother added that her son has been "throwing up for days on end" due to the tap water contamination. The family also had to put down their dog after exhibiting a mysterious illness and refused to go without water because she vomited after drinking.
Del Toro personally addressed Bauer's concern and said he would be consulting with the Surgeon General on some guidance for breastfeeding mothers and their babies in this situation. But Del Toro also had to hear the complaints of more families in about 7,000 housing units for the Navy and the Air Force at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
Medical care, food, and alternative housing accommodations have been provided for around 700 families as officials are still investigating the fuel spill. Those in command said they weren't ruling out anything, including sabotage. Despite the temporary housing solution and lodging allowance and compensation, the families are hoping to return to their houses in time for Christmas.
Halting Operations at the Fuel Storage Site
Meanwhile, the Hawaii Department of Health advised the Navy to immediately suspend the fuel storage site's operations. The agency also asks them to install a drinking water system for the residents and defuel the underground site tanks for 30 days.
According to CNN, Katie Arita-Chang, the health department spokesperson, said the Navy has been negotiating with the terms of the continuance of the facility. However, records also revealed that the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam had a history of fuel leaks, and the Navy has been cited with violations following routine inspections of the water sources in 2014 and 2020.
