Kihei, HI. - Namauu Technological & Industrial (NTI) has joined a team of Native Hawaiian Organization-Owned companies that will be responsible for Hazardous Site Assessments for Household Material and Bulk Asbestos Removal in Lahaina and Kula/Olinda. The work was awarded by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to Dawson Solutions as the prime contractor leading the team of NHOs.

NTI’s CEO, Dr. Kekai Namauu stated, “This one hits very close to home as I was born on Maui and have friends and family who were/are affected by the fire devastation”. He went on to thank Dawson Solutions for spearheading the effort and that NTI would leverage all of its capabilities to ensure the effective delivery of their services to such an important project.

Debris removal missions assigned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency include the removal of debris from private property. The cleanup process includes two phases. Phase 1 is currently underway and involves the removal of hazardous materials by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Phase 2 involves the removal of other fire-related debris by USACE. During Phase 2, fire-damaged debris will only be removed from a property if property and business owners grant permission via a completed right-of-entry form.

The County of Maui will identify and oversee priorities during the fire cleanup while working in partnership with the state and federal agencies supporting the community with this process. In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu District awarded a contract for cultural monitoring on Oct. 16 to help prevent further harm to items of cultural and historical significance while also honoring the unique cultural heritage of Hawai‘i. Cultural observers will be on site for all stages of Phase 2 operations.

NTI’s Chief Operation Officer, Keone Peneku, was part of the first HAZWOPER course held in partnership with the Council for Native Hawaiian Affairs (CHNA) which covers hazardous waste and emergency response fundamentals and is a requirement for all workers on the project.

Keone stated that being on the ground level with all the prospective workers was extremely exciting and seeing how all of the Hawaiian organizations are working together made him proud to be a part of the effort.