THE NEW NORMAL:
LIVING IN THE LAVA ZONE UPDATE
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| Night shot of ocean entry with "perched channel" of lava feeding it from above |
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| Lava, shmava, where's dinner? |
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| Our lava events are usually effusive, not eruptive, so you can approach...with caution |
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| Lava fountain and Ikaika Marzo, beloved local lava celebrity |
DESTRUCTION AND
DEVASTATION: Today is the 90th day of continuous lava flow since the
current eruption started on May 3, 2018. Since then over 700 homes have been
completely destroyed by lava covering over 13 square miles. This toll does not even count the numerous other homes
that are inaccessible since roads are cut off or they are literally surrounded
by lava, but still standing. Spectacularly beautiful local spots such as the
warm ponds; Kapoho bay snorkeling area; and Green Crater Lake, have been taken
by lava. The scenic drive along the coast on the Red Road abruptly ends where a
towering pile of lava covers the road at heights up to 60’. Kalani, our beloved
local eco-resort, lost all their business due to cancelled reservations and to
Route 130 (The Red Road) being roadblocked for over 7 weeks, and has closed,
probably permanently. (they had other serious management issues too).
The local
economy is devastated by a huge drop in tourism. Volcanoes National Park is our
biggest attraction bringing visitors to the Big Island. It’s been closed since
mid-May. Vacation rentals and hotels fed tourists into the local restaurants,
bars and retail establishments. Cleaning and maintenance of the rental homes
and hotels provided employment. Now many friends and local residents are trying
to figure out how to replace what was a steady source of income.
REBUILDING AND
SIGNS OF HOPE:
The ohana
(community) came together very quickly to support lava refugees. Tiny homes
were built to house people who had lost everything. Pu’uhonua o Puna is the
backbone of these efforts, along with a free kitchen and gathering place called
The Hub. Robert and I were happy to provide a new permanent place to live to
one friend at our place, and temporary housing to another one too. While a lot
of friends have permanently left the area, others have already bought new homes
or rented new apartments. Our ohana will be smaller, but tighter and stronger,
after all we’ve been through together.
WHAT LAVA FLOW,
I HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING ABOUT IT FOR MONTHS?: There’s a molten river of 2000
degree molten rock flowing at speeds of 15-25 miles/hour along an 8 mile long
“perched channel” path until it ends up entering the ocean and making new land.
Here on the Mainland, though, the press rarely covers the lava event. When they
do, they make idiotic mistakes (Fox News chiron saying that Oahu is
threatened with lava explosions (they’re 200 miles from the Big Island!)). Or
they say “cow sized boulders are exploding from Kilauea crater” (it never
happened). But since no one has been killed, and the only injuries were on a
lava boat that was too close to shore, the press has lost interest.
HOW LONG WILL
IT LAST? Here’s a quote from a US Geological Survey report saying basically, that
they really don’t know:
“If the ongoing eruption maintains its current style of activity at a high eruption rate, then it may take months to a year or two to wind down. While this seems to be the most
likely outcome, a pause in the eruption, followed by additional activity, cannot be ruled out, nor can an abrupt cessation or a transition
to steady, longer-lived activity at a lower effusion rate.”
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| Our house at twilight |
HOW’S OUR HOUSE?: Our house, meanwhile, is still not in the
area at greatest risk of lava inundation. The lava flows are going away from
our place, downhill to the ocean even farther away. We are, however, under the
“giant cloud of Mordor” of the ocean plume created 11 miles away at the ocean
entry point. When the wind blows in our direction, which is often, our place is
darkened under a low hanging cloud. We also get small
amounts of volcanic ash and Pele’s Hair. The latter are hair sized and length
volcanic glass particles.
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| SpongeBob SquarePants makes you SMILE! |
HOW’RE YOU FEELING ABOUT ALL THIS?: I was not alone in
experiencing deep emotional trauma from the impact of lava on my friends and my
ohana (family/community) in May. Then my mood shifted, believe it or not, due
to seeing “SpongeBob SquarePants” on Broadway. Robert and I had no idea that
the plot of the silly, fun, brightly colored musical was a runaway volcano
threatening to obliterate the undersea village of Bikini Bottom! He and I
turned to each other when we learned about the plot with “WTF, you can’t make
this stuff up” grins on our faces. I started feeling better after the show, and
am now living the “new normal”, twice daily updates from the USGS (US
Geological Survey). I’m still worried, but I am pretty much back to my “happy
inside” norm (with a new understanding of terms like PTSD, depression, and
survivors guilt). Through all of this I have been supported by my loving, wonderful
husband of 28 years, Robert. Mahalo, baby!
Meanwhile, back in Hawaii earlier this year, I took some great photos of our house and garden. Here they are!
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| Rainbow love |
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| Rainbow over our house and master suite |
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| Jungle pavilion viewed from main house |
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| Entrance driveway |
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| Silver bismarckia, royal palm and Chinese firecracker tree |
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| Rock garden below master suite |
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| Magic hour shot at sunrise looking towards ocean |
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| Puna the jungle kitty on the prowl |
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| Crocodile bench and garden behind |
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| Another gorgeous sunrise shot from our lanai |
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| Rainbow blesses our house! |
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| Seeds of croton |
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| Garden shot |
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| More garden color |
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| Brazilian cloak bush with red flowers looking left from driveway |
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| Flamethrower palm starts out red, then turns green |
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| Bromeliad's natural color pops from above! |
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| We have over 500 orchids |
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| Beautiful orchids and nice scent! |
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| Australian flame tree turns red in Fall |
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| Pavilion from house lanai |
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| The girls out for a walk, our caretaker's chickens that we adore! |
We return to the Big Island in September. I’ll do another
update then unless something unforeseen happens in the interim. Aloha!
Map of our house relative to lava flow:
Today’s
helicopter overflight video featuring a river of lava, ocean entry, and sadly,
a fire that burned more homes overnight:
