Lava is about to cut the small rural town of Pahoa Hawaii in half. Pahoa only has a population of about 945 people, but it is more important to the district of Puna than the population would suggest. It is the commercial center for about 8,000 people. The lava will not only cut Pahoa in half, it will also cut the Puna district in half when it crosses the main road Highway 130, a road that accommodates 10,000 cars a day.
Some background
The historic town of Pahoa [pronounce puh-HOE-uh] is on the east side of the Big Island in the county of Hawai'i. The county is the most rural in the state and the Puna district, where Pahoa resides, is one of the most rural in the county. But it also has some of the most affordable property. This has made the region a melting pot of many different people. There are as many reason to live in Puna as there are people, but a general break down would go as this. People who work in the bigger city of Hilo choose to live here and commute. Local Hawaiians, which I use to include all people either Native or Asian and other ethnic groups that have lived on the Islands for generations, are a mixed bag, but many of them are poor with few prospects. Mainlanders who come to retire make up a large segment, along with people who have chosen to live off the grid. While there are strains between the different groups, with homelessness being a problem, by enlarge the people get along very well. They are not just neighbors, they are an extended family.
Most of the district's communities do not want strip malls and fast food restaurants in their neighborhoods. Many moved here precisely to escape that urban sprawl. Because of this, shopping opportunities exist almost exclusively only in Hilo, accessed by Highway 130, and the historic town of Pahoa, which has multiple restaurants, a bank, the districts main post office and shops of all descriptions.
The Eruption
Everything was very happy in paradise until June 27th when the Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent, part of the Kīlauea volcano system, began to extrude slow moving pahoehoe lava, not the explosive fast moving a'a lava whe most often associate with volcanoes.
Here is a 15 minute video that explains how pahoehoe lava.
By August it became apparent that the lava was not heading south, like past lava flows, but rather east toward Pahoa. Pahoehoe lava moves in starts and stops. At times the flow would stall, only to break out again at a rate of hundreds of yards per day. But all the time it has been making its way toward Pahoa and Highway 130, following closely to the path of steepest decent.
The blue dotted lines are the paths of steepest decent
On October 25th the lava flow crossed Apaʻa Street/Cemetery Road at about 3:50 AM in the morning, entering the town of Pahoa. It crossed rapidly across open fields and covered a mostly Buddhist Japanese Cemetery.
Directly in the path of the lava is the home of Alfred Lee. Mr. Lee decided he wanted to build a berm to protect his property. He is reported to have asked his neighbors if they had a problem with that. They are said to have told him, 'do want you must.'
Via Punaweb
Man builds 250-foot berm to defend property
Alfred Lee is one of the most honorable men I have met in my life, and have known him for over 50 years. He is the master of the bulldozer, and the best there is in Puna. We are praying for his success in this effort. Five generations have lived on his ohana land, and his father, Sonny Lee, was the epitome of a man, as is Alfred.
Alfred has contributed to this community all his life. He has utilizing his own equipment to clear alternate routes, and also working on CofC road, prior to being asked by officials for kokua, he volunteered. He knows what he's doing, and was decent in asking his neighbors first. Best to Alfred and his ohana, and may Pele have mercy on him, and all in her path.
JMO.
But not all in the community are supportive of his effort. Some citizens fear that his berm might protect his home, but in the process redirect the lava directly into somebody's else. The question has been raised as to if Mr. Lee might be liable for damage to other people's property. Some question if he even had the legal right to build it in the first place. Still others think that he is just asking for MORE trouble by trying to challenge the volcano God Pele's will. The county did not stop him and the berm was built. It is about 220 feet long and 12 feet high.
By Thursday the drama was building as the lava inched toward the berm and Pahoa Village Rd., but then the leading edge stalled as it just reached the edge of the trench in front of Lee's berm and about 170 yards short of Pahoa Village Rd.
The flow remains active with a new break out to the west now threatening the trash transfer station, and the lava flow widening.
Not only does Pahoa provide the Puna district with shops, banking and postal services, it is also the location of the central trash transfer station. Along with the transportation problems, trash will become a serious problem too if the lava flow over runs this transfer station.
That is the way pahoehoe lava flows work. They move forward and then stall as the lava fills in behind it, only to start moving forward again. Both the USGS and Hawai'i County Civil Defense believe that it is inevitable that the lava flow will continue, not only crossing Pahoa Village Rd and Highway 130, but possible all the way to the Pacific Ocean. More than 80 National Guard soldiers have been called up and are manning road blocks along Pahoa roads.
Another odd story to come out of this continuing disaster is of the eggbeater. Two people, who apparently did not want to miss a once in a life time opportunity, cut through a fence and trespassed on county land so that they could dip kitchen utensils and golf clubs into the lava. Both have been arrested, but are out on $250 bail. Of course the reality of the situation is that this is not likely to be a once in a life time opportunity, and more lava flows will most likely continue to cross Puna for decades to come.
Roads
Once Highway 130 is covered, Puna is cut off from the rest of the island. In an attempt to mitigate that seemingly inevitable circumstance, the county is feverishly working on three roads, Railroad Drive, Government Beach Road, and the last resort, Chain of Craters Road.
The map is very small. Government Beach Road is the blue line on the far right. The next blue line to the left is Railroad Drive, and Chain of Craters in at the bottom running across the old lava flow.
Both Railroad Drive and Government Beach Road are largely complete but are in portions gravel and in spots, only one lane. Government Beach Road is now open to local only traffic, but is so full of pot holes that cars can only drive at about 20 mph. It is only one lane in many places and it might not be legal to widen it. On both sides are protected Mango trees, and scattered along the way are protected Native Hawaiian burial sites.
Mango trees along the very narrow Government Beach Road.
Once Highway 130 is closed, it is assumed that Railroad Drive will be open. It is reported to be a bit wider, but is still gravel in many areas. The combination of the two roads will still not be able to support the 10,000 cars that are currently using Highway 130. The County is urging people to use car pools and limit unnecessary trips. The residents are already talking about food coops and boat trips to Hilo. Like I said earlier, the Puntiacs (if that is the correc term) are not just neighbors they are an extended family and will pull together, but their lives will be change dramatically.
If the lava flow continues on its course, as it is likely to do, it will eventually cover both Railroad Drive and Government Beach Road. At that point the last road out of Puna is the still unfinished Chain of Craters Road to the south. It is an old road that was partially covered by an earlier lava flow and had never been rebuilt. Now there is no other option and the County and HVNP are working as fast as they can to carve out a new one lane road through the solid lava.
Work along Chain of Craters Road taken on Oct. 24th
For more information and updates look to #punalavaflow on Twitter, and @MilekaLincoln, a reporter for Hawaii News Now, the undisputed star of Puna lava flow reporting. You can find local discussions at PunaWeb. The USGS and HVO have highly informative maps and photos updated in the late afternoon. The Hawai'i County Civil Defense site has information on school and road closer and updates on the new roads.