Health · Healthcare & Policy · 8 hrs ago
Maui study tracks wildfire survivors’ health and connects them with support
University of Hawaiʻi professors Ruben Juarez and Alika Maunakea lead a study of people affected by Maui’s wildfires.
The fires on Aug.
8, 2023, killed at least 102 people, displaced nearly 13,000 and destroyed more than 2,200 buildings.
The study has enrolled 2,500 participants for health checks that include tests for lung function, stress and environmental exposure.
It also links survivors to therapy, food, cash and help finding care, alongside free testing.
Researchers hope the approach can guide public health responses after disasters, but funding to continue the study is uncertain.
Juarez and Maunakea are seeking a way to keep it going as survivors continue to need support.
The Maui Wildfire Exposure Study tracks the health of survivors of the 2023 Lahaina wildfire and connects them with support.
The study has enrolled 2,500 participants and offers free health testing, therapy, food assistance, cash support and help accessing doctors and insurance.
University of Hawaiʻi professors Ruben Juarez and Alika Maunakea co-lead the study.
The researchers hope it can serve as a public health model for disaster recovery across the United States.
The study’s future was uncertain after expected state funding fell through and federal grant applications went unanswered for months.
- Who
- The Maui Wildfire Exposure Study, co-led by University of Hawaiʻi professors Ruben Juarez and Alika Maunakea, works with wildfire survivors.
- What
- The study tracks survivors’ health and connects them with testing and other support.
- When
- It began after the August 8, 2023, wildfires. Researchers were holding a study event in May, three years later.
- Where
- Lahaina, Maui, Hawaiʻi.
- Why
- The researchers created it to understand the fires’ effects on survivors’ health and respond to their needs.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Wildfires hit Maui, killing at least 102 people, displacing nearly 13,000 residents and destroying more than 2,200 buildings.
Ruben Juarez and Alika Maunakea developed the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study to track health impacts on survivors.
The study had enrolled 2,500 participants and combined research with health and practical support.
The researchers held a study event at the Lahaina Comprehensive Health Center, with health tests and mental health check-ins for survivors.
- Study name
- Maui Wildfire Exposure Study (MauiWES)
- Study participants
- 2,500
- Wildfire date
- August 8, 2023
- Deaths
- At least 102
- Displaced residents
- Nearly 13,000
- Buildings destroyed
- More than 2,200
What people are saying
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