Hawaii Lava Flow Steadily Advancing Toward Pahoa; Residents Will Be Allowed to Watch Homes Burn, County Says

Associated Press
Published: October 27,2014


 
People who will be forced from their homes by a lava flow on Hawaii's Big Island will be able to watch the slow-motion disaster destroy their houses, if they choose to do so.
Molten lava from the Kilauea volcano continued to steadily advance toward a Hawaii town Monday evening. The lava had moved within about 100 yards from the nearest home and about 580 yards from Pahoa Village Road. Families have been told they need to be ready to leave at any time.
Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira said that people will be allowed to watch to "provide for a means of closure," The Associated Press reports. "You can only imagine the frustration as well as . . . despair they're going through."
With the lava flow moving at 15 to 20 yards per hour, Hawaii County officials have been working around the clock to monitor its advancement and keep residents posted on any new developments. Parts of the main street in Pahoa has been closed and limited to area residents, the county announced.
The Red Cross said it will open a shelter to house any evacuees who have nowhere to go.
(MORE: Town Ravaged By Kilauea Lava Flow in 1990) 
Kilauea volcano has been erupting continuously since 1983. Most lava from this eruption has flowed south. But the lava has flowed to the northeast over the past two years.
The current flow that has been threatening Pahoa began in June. It's been moving toward town in fits and starts for weeks, speeding up and then slowing down.
The flow front passed through a predominantly Buddhist cemetery, covering grave sites in the mostly rural region of Puna, and was roughly a half-mile from Pahoa Village Road, the main street of Pahoa.
Darryl Oliveira, director of civil defense for Hawaii County, told reporters during a late Sunday morning teleconference that the nearest home was at least 300 yards from the flow front. He planned to get better coordinates during a flight later in the day.
Residents in the nearest home said they could see the flow front from their balcony and were prepared to evacuate when the time came, Oliveira said.
(MORE: Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano: Don't Underestimate Its Explosive Power)
Oliveira estimated there were at least 50 to 60 structures, including homes and businesses, in the area most likely to be impacted.
Authorities went door-to-door, notifying residents Saturday of the need to be ready to evacuate. The vast majority of residents contacted had identified places where they could go, with "less than a handful" saying they may need to go to a shelter, he said.
As the lava moved through the cemetery, Oliveira said a monument was visible, protruding through the molten mass.
Janet Babb, a geologist and spokeswoman for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said methane explosions also have been going off. She said decomposing vegetation produces methane gas that can travel subsurface beyond the lava front in different directions, accumulating in pockets that can ignite. She said it was a bit unnerving to hear all the blasts on Saturday.
One passed near where she and others were standing.
"At the time that it happened, it was such a rumble I thought it was thunder and that we were about to be struck by lightning," she said.
A resident who lives south of Pahoa told The Weather Channel that surrounding towns rely on Pahoa for groceries, gas and medical services, and if the town is closed, residents may have to drive 100 miles for vital goods and services. Therefore, any residents needing medical services have been strongly encouraged to evacuate, she added.