HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — This week, DoD officials announced a new development related to a News 3 Investigation from earlier this year impacting thousands of veterans and families, including those in Hampton Roads.
Many say their health has been impacted after jet fuel spilled into a drinking water supply at military bases in Hawaii.
Tuesday, News 3 talked with a woman named Lou, who just moved to Hampton Roads with her husband and four kids, after living at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii for about three years.
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She said they're dealing with health issues after their time on the island.
“Mental issues, urological issues, [and] balance issues,” she said. “The biggest thing has been the fatigue and the migraines.”
Lou has linked these issues to incidents involving a bulk fuel storage facility built in the 1940s for the U.S. military known as "Red Hill."
Residents reported health issues stemming from contaminated drinking water.
According to the EPA, 93,000 U.S. Navy water system users were impacted.
“My husband, and also my ex, serve this country,” Lou said. “I moved here from Scotland 9 years ago, and have supported a foreign military through being a spouse.”
Last year, the defense secretary directed Red Hill to defuel and permanently shut down the facility.
This week, the DoD announced they started de-fueling ahead of schedule.
“The Department of Defense has worked closely with the Hawaii Department of Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ensure we are good stewards of the environment as we work toward the timely and safe closure of Red Hill,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said. “Beginning the defueling process earlier than initially planned is a testament to the Department’s commitment to safeguarding the aquifer and protecting the health of the people in Hawaii.”
Watch previous coverage: Hawaii military base water contamination affecting veterans and their families in Hampton Roads
Led by Joint Task Force-Red Hill (JTF-Red Hill), DoD officials said the Department will gravity drain and remove approximately 104 million gallons of fuel stored in the facility using pipelines that run through roughly three miles of tunnels to a pier located at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Fuel removed from the facility will be loaded onto tanker ships and transported to existing Defense Fuel Support Points. The defueling plans have been closely coordinated with and approved by the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The gravity defueling process will take approximately three months with completion set for mid-January 2024.
“After months of planning, preparing and rehearsing, we are ready to begin defueling Red Hill and set the conditions for its closure,” Vice Adm. John Wade, JTF-Red Hill Commander said. “We listened to the community and have taken significant precautions to mitigate risk and protect the aquifer and the environment as we safely and expeditiously defuel the facility.”
According to the DoD, the Department was originally expected to begin gravity defueling in 2024, but through an iterative deliberate process in coordination with the DOH and the EPA, identified efficiencies that allowed DoD to accelerate the timeline.
"Protecting Oahu’s aquifer is essential to ensuring safe drinking water for the people of Hawaii,” EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe said. “Throughout this process, EPA has worked with the DOD, JTF- Red Hill, the state of Hawaii, community members and critical stakeholders to develop practical solutions that are leading to real environmental results and vital public health benefits. We are very pleased to be at this point, and I am confident this cooperation and EPA’s oversight will help ensure the safe defueling and ultimate closure of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility and protection of the area’s drinking water."
Lou said, despite the news, she believes there’s still more to be done.
“We welcome the fact that the Navy are now defueling,” she said. “But, to me, it’s too little too late.”
Hampton Roads native and longtime Army Major Amanda Feindt has helped raised awareness of the issue for families impacted in Hawaii.
“This isn’t over,” Feindt said regarding the DoD’s announcement of Red Hill’s defueling. “It’s only just begun.”
News 3 first introduced you to Feindt and her family in our previous News 3 Investigation in June, where they shared their health impacts they linked to Red Hill.
“A lot of like neurological symptoms that’ve lingered on, gastro-intestinal issues,” Feindt said.
Feindt believes Red Hill’s defueling ahead of schedule is a positive step.
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As people move across the country, she and others continue advocating for medical care, transparency and a congressional hearing.
“I think it’s important for the doctors, and for the medical providers in the Hampton Roads area, to know and to get educated on what happened at Red Hill,” Feindt said.
Meanwhile, Lou hopes others who may be stationed in Hampton Roads now will speak up.
“Just because we’ve left Hawaii, doesn’t mean we’re not victims anymore,” she said. “The government needs to fix this.”
Tuesday, News 3 also reached to DoD and Hampton Roads VA officials about resources they have for veterans and families impacted by Red Hill.
A DoD spokesperson released the following information to News 3 Tuesday:
On April 10, 2023, Defense Health Agency Region Indo-Pacific (DHAR-IP) announced that medical assessments extend to impacted civilians exposed to Red Hill contaminants on a space-available and non-reimbursable basis until March 10, 2024.
The DHAR-IP announced on August 8, 2023 a new appointment line for scheduling appointments at the Red Hill Clinic.
Beginning August 9, 2023, patients can call 833-415-3024 to book an appointment at the Red Hill Clinic. This appointment line is operated locally and open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4p.m. Hawaii Standard Time, except holidays.
The Red Hill Clinic, located at Branch Health Clinic Makalapa on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, offers dedicated patient care and expedited referrals to specialty care as needed for DOD beneficiaries, including active duty service members, TRICARE Prime, and TRICARE Select patients.
For more information about the clinic, the community can visit this website.
Meanwhile, Hampton VA officials told News 3, at this time, Hampton has not had an influx of Red Hill veterans who have been noted during Toxic Exposure screening process. However, VA officials said if any veterans have concerns about potential toxic exposure to water at Red Hill to contact their VA provider
