Her 4-year-old was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder. She blames Red Hill

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - They come from different backgrounds and now live in different places.

But what unites them is the Red Hill disaster ― and the fact that it upended their lives.

A year ago, fuel from Red Hill contaminated the Navy water system, which serves 93,000 consumers. Thousands were sickened and displaced. And an unspecified but unprecedented number of residents, military officials acknowledge, continue to report long-term symptoms they attribute to fuel exposure.

RED HILL: ONE YEAR LATER

“I’ve got these slew of never-before-had symptoms,” said former Pearl Harbor resident Kat McClanahan.

Says Amanda Feindt: “My life was completely turned upside down.”

Meredith Wilson, also formerly of Pearl Harbor, didn’t want to believe it was the water making her sick.

Military: ‘Unprecedented’ number of medical complaints among those exposed to Red Hill fuel

Like many impacted by the Navy water crisis, the women are united by their concern — for themselves, their families and their communities. They’re worried about the future and the possibility of health effects popping up in the coming decades. One research group says their fears are founded.

As part of a special series, “Red Hill: One Year Later,” Hawaii News Now is taking an in-depth look at an environmental and public disaster whose impacts continue to be felt.

Ariana Wyatt, one of the moms seeks to advocate for those impacted by the Red Hill disaster, was living in military housing at Pearl Harbor a year ago.

“Thanksgiving Day, I had taken a shower and I had what looked like a chemical burn on my body and I was just like something’s not right,” she said.

“I tell my husband it tastes metallic. Smell wise, if you can just imaging going into a gas station.”

Pets were impacted, too. The family cat had a seizure.

Wyatt’s 4-year-old daughter, Indy Rose, has also been diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder that she believes was triggered by the contaminated water. “We noticed a lump on the left side of her thyroid, which is very concerning. Because right now she’s being screened for like cancer,” Wyatt said.

She said the impacts of the contamination go beyond physical health to mental wellness.

“No child nobody should be living in this fear and nightmare because we were poisoned with jet fuel,” Wyatt said. “They need to drain the tanks and they need to do it now.”

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