WAIKOLOA — Some operations are meant to end with a bang.
An upcoming U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiative to clear portions of Waikoloa Village of unexploded ordnance left behind after U.S. Marine Corps training during wartime in the mid-1940s has almost precisely the opposite goal.
Almost.
Typical USACE protocol is to evaluate any detected unexploded ordnance and remove it for detonation at another site, if possible. If moving the item proves too dangerous, however, investigators will detonate unexploded ordnance on site using live explosives. Hence, the evacuation order USACE has circulated for weeks for a portion of Waikoloa.
Loren Zulick, project manager with USACE, explained the details of the clearance to a few dozen attendees during a forum Thursday night at Waikoloa Elementary and Middle School about the coming action. While his general message wasn’t exactly breaking news to those seated in the cafeteria, some of his presentation brought new information to light.
“We all knew that in World War II they did training, but I didn’t know it was so close,” said Michelle Alcoran, who resides in part of the area USACE plans to inspect. “It is kind of scary when you think about it because there’s so many kids in the neighborhood that are playing.”
Investigators wielding metal detectors will comb a handful of neighborhoods in Waikoloa Village, as well as Ke Kumu Ekahi, Ke Kumu Elua and Ke Kumu Ekolu, for unexploded ordnance such as mortars, rockets and grenades. The small parcel of land to be inspected is part of a much larger area, the former Waikoloa Maneuver Area, where Marines trained for the fight against the Axis powers.
The potential necessity of on-site detonation of unexploded ordnance is the impetus for evacuation of those areas, including a 450-foot buffer around the work zones, from Tuesday-Friday (Sept. 4-7). The project dates could be extended by up to a week depending on what investigators find.
Alcoran’s 10-year-old son, Kaimana, said he isn’t currently, nor has he ever been, afraid of the possibility he’d be hurt because of potential UXO in his neighborhood. But he did tell a story from last year that highlighted the necessity of the USACE operation.
“My friend found ammunition,” Kaimana said. “It was during school. He grabbed it and he kind of kept it in his bag because he was walking toward school and that’s when he found it.”
Evacuees won’t need to find places to sleep, as USACE sweeps will only be conducted from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on the days of note. During those hours, however, relevant areas must be cleared.
Zulick said not every person given an evacuation notice will be impacted for the length of the project. As the work progresses, the evacuation zone will progress with it.
USACE sent mailers to about 110 homes and the housing sites inside the evacuation zone, as well as conducted two door-to-door notification campaigns.
However, those unsure if they’re located in the initial evacuation zone, or those who want to keep tabs on the zone’s progression, can do so by visiting http://goo.gl/jnU3ng and clicking on the words “PUBLIC NOTICE” all in blue on the top right-hand corner of the page. That action will link to an updated map of the evacuation zone.
The information can also be obtained by calling 808-308-8452 to listen to updates via recorded phone message or by contacting Chris Matute, site manager, at 896-5203.
Road closures, monitored by off-duty police, and limited access in and out of homes located on some cul-de-sacs also will accompany the work. Road closure updates also can be obtained by visiting the website above and clicking the link or by recorded message at 308-8452.
Those without a place to go are invited to spend work hours at a comfort station at Hooko Park. There, employees of GSI Pacific, a company contracted by USACE to help conduct the unexploded ordnance sweeps, will be stationed with juice and water.
Zulick advised anyone who encounters an item they think is unexploded ordnance to follow the three-R system — recognize, retreat and report. In other words, recognize the item might pose a danger, retreat from the area without touching or moving it and report it immediately to police.
USACE has cleared about 2,700 unexploded ordnance from nearly 30,000 acres since it began the work. The entire Waikoloa Maneuver Area spans more than 100,000 acres.
Raymond Lahm, who was at Thursday’s meeting and worked on a unexploded ordnance clearing project in Waikoloa in 2004, said residents have little to fear.
“If you go by the suggestions and the guidelines of the Army Corps of Engineers, you’re going to be very safe,” he said. “There’s never 100 percent, but I’d say it’s 99.9 (percent).”
Email Max Dible at mdible@westhawaiitoday.com.