Consultant Earth Tech Inc. is evaluating the area above the homes today to try to determine how to proceed, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

"The specific plan is not yet decided," Ward said.

Today, the boulder was the priority. "The initial plan is to remove the boulder," she said.

Workers planned to do that by drilling a series of holes in the boulder, then pouring in chemical expanders that will over about 12 hours crack the rock into manageable pieces for removal.

The boulder, measuring about 5 feet by 6 feet by 8 feet, slid about 36 feet down a 30-degree slope Thursday and came to rest against the back of the house of Juan and Donna Navarro.

The Navarros have not been back to their home since on the advice of the DLNR, but all the other residents of 87-1428 Akowai, a compound of 11 homes, returned after a one-day evacuation.

Stephanie Martin, who lives in one of the homes, said her family is having trouble sleeping because they worry about more rocks falling. Martin says she hopes state officials can make the rocky ridge safe for residents.

"It’s OK to remove the boulder that hit the house, but if they are going to go up there and start to disturb others, that could cause more to come down," Martin said. "Once it’s done, it will be a lot easier to deal with, but for the long term, we will try to move."

Earth Tech and Royal Contracting Co. have been hired to do the work, which is expected to take a week or two, Ward said. None of the other boulders appears to be as large as the one that already fell, she said. There is no estimate yet on the cost of the project.