Quadplexes in the Washington Heights housing area of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, are pictured on Feb. 3, 2025. (Brian McElhiney/Stars and Stripes)
KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — Air Force civil engineers are inspecting another 263 homes for spalling concrete, a month after announcing families in another base neighborhood would be relocated for the same problem.
Spalling is caused by pressure under the surface of the concrete, and most often occurs due to improperly constructed joints or corrosion of rebar under the concrete, according to the U.S. General Services Administration.
The 18th Civil Engineer group is conducting “deliberate inspections” of the quadplex units in Kadena’s Washington Heights neighborhood, 18th Wing spokeswoman Maj. Alli Stormer told Stars and Stripes by email Monday. The neighborhood is across the street from Marek Park and behind the base housing office.
The buildings being inspected are 8101-8107, 8113-8140, 8142, 8144, 8146, 8148, 8150-8158, 8160-8161, 8163, 8170, 8172, 8174, 8176-8184, 8190-8194, and 8200-8213, Stormer said.
The same message was posted to the Okinawa Military Family Housing official Facebook page on Monday morning.
“No injuries have been reported,” the message said. “The Engineers kindly request your support by granting access to your home promptly.”
The wing identified the spalling on Jan. 28, Stormer wrote in a follow-up email. The issue was identified in specific 1978-era Washington Heights buildings during assessments after the discovery of spalling in 1977-era Sebille Manor homes, she added.
She said 263 units in Washington Heights are occupied. Civil engineers started notifying residents in person, and inspections are underway.
The wing has also identified spalling at Sebille Manor, according to a Dec. 19 post on the wing’s official Facebook page.
One of those homes was at high risk for spalling, the wing told Stars and Stripes in an unsigned email last month.
The family in the high-risk home was relocated immediately and an unspecified number of others whose homes are at moderate risk will be relocated by June 30, according to the email.
If a home in Washington Heights is deemed high-risk, the family will be relocated immediately to ensure their safety, Stormer wrote Monday. “Families in moderate-risk homes will move no later than June 30.”
“The 18th Wing remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all residents and appreciates their cooperation throughout this process,” she wrote.
Wing commander Brig. Gen. Nicholas Evans and wing Chief Master Sgt. Brandon Wolfgang hosted two forums last month for Sebille Manor residents affected by spalling.
At a Jan. 8 meeting, the wing said 13 families in Sebille Manor homes would be required to move, Air Force Sgt. Robin Nuesca, of the 18th Communications Squadron, said by phone Jan. 13. The wing has set aside 24 homes on Kadena for these families to choose from, she added.
Nuesca and her husband, Air Force Master Sgt. Aaron Nuesca, also with the communications squadron, live with their two children in a Sebille Manor home that is at low risk for spalling. They have asked to move for their family’s safety, Robin Nuesca said.
“It’s not one of those things that occurs overnight, but I feel a little nervous going through another rainy season if it progresses,” she said.
Residents should contact Kadena’s housing office at 315-634-4663 or fill out a housing maintenance request on the base website if they notice cracking or sagging ceilings “wherever you live,” Stormer said in the email Monday. Damage photos can be emailed to 718ces.servicecall@us.af.mil.
