Posted at 3:13 p.m., Sunday, December 23, 2007
Fires, then rains wreak havoc on Maui
By CLAUDINE SAN NICOLAS
The Maui News
But other factors, such as persistent, unusually dry conditions and Kula's steep terrain, also contributed to the flooding that even the best efforts by forestry workers were powerless to prevent, The Maui News reported.
"There's nothing we could have done; nothing more than what we've already been trying to accomplish," said John Cummings, the Maui Branch manager of the Division of Forestry and Wildlife of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Cummings' comments follow last week's release of a preliminary analysis by county, state and federal officials of the causes and contributing factors of flooding that inundated upper Kula but also affected Kihei, Lahaina and Honokohau.
The report's preliminary findings focused on the "extreme flooding conditions" that resulted in the destruction and/or damage to homes and property in the Kula, Polipoli and Waiohuli areas. Preliminary damage estimates are at $1.2 million for Maui alone.
Mayor Charmaine Tavares' office released the preliminary analysis, with spokeswoman Mahina Martin expressing the mayor's desire to get personally involved in finding ways, if any, to prevent a repeat of this month's massive runoff and flooding.
"We're looking at what would be possible. How do we not let this happen again? And, is there anything to lessen the risks?" Martin said.
"This has been so devastating to the community that Mayor Tavares wants to personally review the situation and be involved. ... She sees this as a really serious thing that has happened to people."
Perry Artates, the past president of the Waiohuli Hawaiian Homesteads, has been talking with friends and family who have had their homes either destroyed or severely damaged in the Kona storm that peaked Dec. 5.
"Act of God, act of Mother Nature, whatever you call it, the important thing is no lives were taken," Artates said.
He said he's heard complaints from residents in upper Kula who point blame at county and state officials for not taking preventative measures.
"If we had control by some authority of telling how Mother Nature should reign, everyone would have no problem," Artates said. "I say we point the finger to Mother Nature and let her answer the question."
State and county officials said they've received numerous requests for an explanation for the massive runoff and questions about the extent to which burned areas of the Kula Forest Reserve contributed to flood damage. In late January and early February, the fire burned more than 2,000 acres between 6,000 and 7,000 feet elevation in the forest.
"We owe the public an explanation," Martin acknowledged Friday, adding that the findings provided so far were not final and were still being compiled.
The preliminary analysis done by state, federal and county officials points to the lack of foliage in the Kula Forest Reserve as a factor in not retaining storm runoff, but it lists other explanations as well.
Led by the county's Civil Defense Agency, the storm damage analysis team included experts in geographical information, Geographic Positioning System mapping and computer assisted-technology. There also were representatives from the National Weather Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Resource Conservation Services, and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Forestry and Wildlife Division as well as DLNR's Engineering Branch.
Factors that resulted in destruction and/or damage to home and property in the Kula, Polipoli and Waiohuli areas included:
The preliminary report also addressed how debris piles found in and around all elevations of gulches where flooding occurred were made up almost entirely of black wattle trees, a fast-growing, short life cycle tree.
But black wattle trees came from a densely vegetated area two miles downhill of the Kula Forest Reserve, which contains mostly pine trees and no black wattle, said Glenn Shishido, a forestry management supervisor.
Shishido, who has about 30 years of experience with the DLNR and the upkeep of the Kula Forest Reserve, noted that water and debris runoff has occurred in years past during the reserve's greenest times.
"We've had occurrences of blocked culverts and damages to the roads and trees falling even when the area was unburned," Shishido said.
The fire in the Kula Reserve was first reported Jan. 23, and it wasn't declared under control until the first week of February. The fire blackened 2,291 acres and had a 16-mile perimeter. Firefighters have suspected that the blaze may have been started by someone discarding a burned cigarette on the forest ground.
Even before the fire was extinguished, Cummings said he and his staff started looking for ways to restore the forest's foliage. Last month, the DLNR had a massive volunteer tree seedling planting. Many of the plants survived the storm, but some did not.
Volunteers are still being sought for tree seedling plantings. To volunteer, call 808-873-3980.
Cummings said members of his division staff have been doing what they can to assess damage from the storm and clear the reserve's entry and access road.
State officials don't expect the Kula Forest Reserve to be ready for public use until the end of February, at the earliest.
"We appreciate the public's patience and understanding, and we continue to ask for that," Shishido said.
There were hundreds of pine trees, many of them as tall as 40 feet, uprooted by the winds of the Kona storm. Many of the trees fell into the access and entry road to the reserve as well as parts of more than 16 miles of hiking trails. In addition, approximately 1? miles of a boundary fence that was being installed as part of fire mitigation efforts were ruined by the storm because of fallen trees. Lastly, parts of a previous resurfaced road were washed out by mud and rain.
The cost of storm-related repairs to the Kula Forest Reserve is estimated at roughly $750,000, according to Cummings. The money would be used to rent heavy equipment and pay for materials and workers' time to do the restoration and repair jobs.
For more Maui news, visit The Maui News.
