No one wants to see continued drought conditions in West Maui, but downpours wouldn’t be helpful either. Not while the town of Lahaina remains in huge mounds of toxic debris and ash, and heavy rains would send runoff into nearshore waters.

The debris is being sprayed and sealed with a clear crust, but with rain and debris removal, runoff is inevitable. Scientists are standing by, to take samples of coral reefs near Lahaina to assess the impact of the toxic ash from the Aug. 8 wildfire.