Richelle Dietz, a mother of two and wife of a U.S. Navy officer, often thinks about water. The family, stationed in Honolulu, spends more than $120 a month on jugs of bottled water for drinking, cooking and cleaning, as well as showerhead and sink filters. Each night the children, ages 13 and 5, carry cups of bottled water upstairs to their bathrooms to brush their teeth. 'I hope that one day I can not think about water all the time,' Dietz said. 'But right now it’s a constant.
Department of Justice attorneys wrote in court documents that the government admits the Nov. 20, 2021, spill at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility 'caused a nuisance' for the plaintiffs, that the United States 'breached its duty of care' and that the plaintiffs suffered compensable injuries. But they dispute the plaintiffs were exposed to jet fuel at levels high enough to cause their alleged health problems.
When families felt abandoned by the military, 'the people who did show up for them was the Native community,' Kapahua said. Dietz agreed. 'They gave us a seat at the table,' she said through tears. Eventually, under orders from state officials, pressure from the outcry and ongoing protests, the military drained the tanks. Dietz's husband later got new orders and the family is relocating to Jacksonville, Florida, this summer.