# disaster
Hidden inside a ridge overlooking Pearl Harbor, a huge U.S. government fuel storage facility has fueled ships and aircraft crisscrossing the Pacific since World War II.
Its existence was kept a secret for many years. Even after it was declassified, little attention was paid - until late last year, when jet fuel leaked into drinking water Wells, appeared in tap water and sickened thousands in military housing.
Now, the Navy is scrambling to contain what one U.S. lawmaker called an "astronomical crisis." Native Hawaiians, veterans, liberals and conservatives have all pushed to shut down the tanks, even though the Navy says they are vital to national security.
Military medical teams have examined more than 5,900 people who complained of symptoms including nausea, headaches and rashes. The military has moved about 4,000 mostly military families into hotels and airlifted water treatment systems from the mainland.
In the first six weeks after the water crisis emerged, the Navy spent more than $250 million responding to public health emergencies.
"Frankly, this is a nightmare and a disaster. A total disaster, "said U.S. Rep. Kaiali'i Kahele.