‘Packed up and ready to go’: Evacuations coming soon in Pahoa

Hawaii County Civil Defense officials are asking Pahoa residents to get ready to evacuate as a 96-foot-wide stream of lava prepares to enter the small historical town.

After months of anxiety and anticipation, the flow arrived at Pahoa’s doorstep before dawn Saturday, burning pavement as it crossed Cemetery Road, one of the last landmarks separating the town from 2,000-degree molten rock.

Smoke from the lava was hardly visible in the town itself about a half mile away Saturday afternoon and residents either continued last-minute preparations or tried to enjoy what was otherwise a sunny day.

“I’m packed up and ready to go,” said Dannielle Mercado, who was holding a garage sale to help clear her house.

Mercado, a mother of four who lives on Pahoa Village Road in the flow’s projected path, said she planned to move in with a friend in Ainaloa temporarily. But with so many people trying to find new places to live, she wasn’t sure how long it would take to find her own residence.

“There’s no houses out there,” Mercado said.

Darryl Oliveira, Civil Defense administrator, said an evacuation could occur Tuesday or earlier depending on the flow’s speed.

As of Saturday afternoon, it was advancing at about 10 yards per hour, though geologists warned that could increase as it reaches steeper terrain. It remained about 0.6 miles from Pahoa Village Road and the nearest occupied residences as of about 3 p.m.

“It certainly will not be constant in the next 24 hours,” said Mike Poland, a geophysicist with Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Oliveira said at least 40 to 50 residences would be part of an initial evacuation. That could increase depending on the flow’s activity.

The area likely to be initially impacted extends along Pahoa Village Road from the Post Office to Apa‘a Street, he said.

Evacuation shelters will be opened, including one at the Sure Foundation church on Highway 130, Oliveira said.

Hawaii Electric Light Co. placed protective barriers around three transmission poles along Cemetery Road and Apa‘a Street.

Rhea Lee, HELCO administration manager, said lava came into contact with one pole, which remained undamaged as of Saturday afternoon.

Civil Defense officials and volunteers with local community emergency response teams were visiting with residents in the flow’s path Saturday to give them the latest update and assess their needs.

Francesca Martin-Howe, one of the CERT volunteers, said her team came across several vacant homes Saturday morning as it appears some residents have already chosen to leave.

Her first contact occurred at about 11 a.m. at the home of Alfred Lee, whose house could be the first impacted.

“Just living in this community, the biggest issue appears to be finances,” Martin-Howe said.

“Trying to finance two homes at once, that seems to be a difficult thing to do for a lot of people. You can’t shut off your electricity if you have insurance on your home because that’s abandonment.”

Lee, 62, put most of his belongings in a trailer weeks ago and was ready to leave. But he said he planned to stay until lava crosses his land.

“I’m not planning to leave until it reaches right here,” he said, pointing to his driveway.

Lee said he and his wife could live with family elsewhere. But like Mercado and others, he wasn’t sure where he could find a new permanent home.

“Like me, like him,” Lee said, pointing to his neighbor’s house, “we have no place to go. This is all we got.”

Lee, who was raised on the property, said what he worried about most was not necessarily leaving, but seeing lava claim the land his family has owned for five generations.

“To see this place covered up will probably be the hardest part,” he said.

But as the danger approaches, Lee said he thinks about returning.

“It will be like Kalapana,” he said. “Come back and build again. There might be a little black top.”

Like many others, Melfred Raras, 33, said he didn’t expect this to happen to Pahoa.

“You got to accept what Madame Pele is going to do,” he said.

“At the same time, it’s sad because all of the memories. If it does come through the house, all of the memories you had growing up here can be lost just like that.”

Officials are refraining from estimating when the flow could reach Pahoa Village Road or other landmarks since its rate of advance continues to fluctuate. Based on the most recent activity, it could be a matter of days.

Oliveira said providing a firm estimate could only frustrate residents more as it changes.

“The key is we are watching the flow 24/7,” he said, adding an evacuation would be expedited if needed.

Apa‘a Street resident Robert Shioshita continued to prepare to leave Saturday but he wasn’t sure where he would go.

“If push comes to shove I guess we’ll stay at the beach or something,” said Shioshita, 68.

He said he has lived in Pahoa since 1979 and never thought lava would go this way. But now Shioshita said he can relate to residents of Kalapana, initially inundated by lava in the late 1980s.

“At least now I can say I know how the other people feel since I’m in it this time,” he said.

Kalapana resident Dave Ewing, who owns Sirius Hot Spot Coffee in Pahoa, said he almost lost his home to lava in 2010.

Now, he risks losing his business, though he believes it will be safe for awhile.

“We handled that one really well and we are carrying that forward to handle this one even better,” said Ewing, who was maintaining a positive attitude.

When lava reaches the town, he doesn’t believe Pahoa will be defeated.

“This community is a unique one in how well they pull together,” Ewing said. “Everyone is helping each other not be stressed. This is just nature. We know we’re living next to a volcano.”

Oliveira also noted the community is dealing with the situation well and he doesn’t think the county will need to force residents from their homes.

“I definitely feel the community is going to be cooperative and working with us and understand the concerns for their safety,” he said.

Going forward, Civil Defense plans to increase the number of overflights to up to three a day and extend its outreach effort beyond the initial impact area, Oliveira said.

Public access to the flow will remain restricted and road closures will remain in effect, he said.

Staff Writer Colin M. Stewart contributed to this report.

Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.