As one who has made a career of studying disaster response and recovery, the Red Hill crisis is shaping up to be the most significant disaster in Hawaii. The harm to people, businesses, water supply system and the natural environment is significant. The cleanup, recovery and restoration from this disaster will be costly, take decades and require vigilance, strong leadership and deep commitments from us all.

Recovery from big disasters is almost always messy, incomplete and rarely praiseworthy. Yet there are five actions that can support the recovery of Red Hill.

Manage uncertainty, complexity and risk. Much is not known nor shared as to the extent of damage and deterioration of the tanks, pumps and pipes to store and transport fuel and other fluids used by the military. The full extent of contamination of the water supply systems and the aquifer is also not known. The health effects of drinking contaminated water may take years to show up with greater levels of harm to children, older adults and those with medical conditions. There are complex temporal and spatial interactions between ground and surface water, and the extraction, storage, distribution of potable water and the leaks from the Red Hill system. We need more testing, tracking, modeling and quantification of levels of contamination in the water supply system and the aquifer.

Focus on vulnerable, underserved, voiceless groups. Many families, pets, small businesses, schools, neighborhoods and social activities have been adversely impacted by this disaster. A full accounting of the impacts, reported and underreported is necessary to protect our community and to target resources for monitoring, cleanup and ensuring that those exposed to contaminated water can take further precautions to protect their health. Greater documentation of what happened to those unable or unwilling to speak out is needed, to better understand and mitigate the harm and improve detection and warning systems.

Improved alternatives analysis. In addition to moving from knowledge to action, planning entails the generation and evaluation of alternatives in the short-term and over mid- to longer horizons. How quickly can the tanks be drained? Where will the fuel be stored until it is used? How will the military’s demand for fuel be met if the Red Hill facility is closed? What are the risks and threats associated with draining and emptying the tanks and piping system? Are there alternative uses and retrofits for the Red Hill system that do no pose environmental risks and hazards to our community?

Open, transparent, accessible data. Big disasters require robust, agile systems for analysis, modeling of alternatives, and support of planning and decision-making.

Given the complexities and interactions between built and natural systems and the singular importance of potable water in a remote island setting, we need the best minds, data scientists and analytical expertise to study what went wrong, the persistent threats and hazards from Red Hill, and to support the prioritization and implementation of quick fixes and longer-term solutions to this ongoing disaster.

It’s not just about throwing money at the problem. We need clear-eyed measures of success and data-driven targets for system recovery and remediation of this environmental disaster.

Meaningful engagement of all stakeholders. Recovery requires effective communications, coordination, collaboration and sustained engagement across federal, state and local governments, between the military and other regulatory, scientific, health and environmental agencies, with deep involvement of community groups, organizations and interest groups. There needs to be ongoing, facilitated, resourced opportunities for planning and engagement integrated with the formal legal and administrative processes that build trust to facilitate deliberation and joint problem-solving focused on expedience and protection of our community and precious water supply.

As bad as the Red Hill disaster is, it is also an opportunity to invest in resilience and sustainability.

Karl Kim, Ph.D., is a professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Hawaii, where he directs the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (ndptc.hawaii.edu).