PAHOA — Pahoa Marketplace or Hawaiian Paradise Park?
As usual, the June 27 lava flow isn’t offering Puna residents any desirable options.
After staying far upslope for the past two weeks, the flow advanced hastily over the weekend with a fresh ribbon of red molten rock establishing itself as its new front.
The new leading edge was advancing at a rate of between 350 and 400 yards per day to the north-northeast and was following a path toward Pahoa’s largest shopping area.
As of Monday morning, the flow was 2.9 miles from the intersection of Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road, where the shopping center is located. If it maintains its current rate, the flow could reach the highway in about two weeks.
But before it gets there, the flow could track north toward HPP, or split in both directions, officials said.
The deciding factor will be which path of steepest descent the flow follows. About a mile from its front Monday, two lines of steepest descent, identified by Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists to help predict the flow’s path, nearly intersect.
One travels to the shopping area and another continues north toward the southeastern edge of HPP, the Big Island’s largest subdivision.
“Until it comes to that point it’s difficult to say with any certainty,” said Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira, when asked about the flow’s likely path. “It may take its own track.”
At this point, anywhere from Pahoa to HPP could be impacted if the flow continues in its current direction, said Mike Poland, HVO geophysicist.
“It may follow multiple (paths), it may split and follow two,” he said. “It’s pretty hard to tell which one it will eventually go into, if only one.”
A manager at Pahoa Fresh Fish, a tenant of the shopping area, said the business will wait until the “last minute” before moving everything out on a trailer if lava arrives.
“We kind of stopped on the plans (when it crossed Apa‘a Street) but now it’s coming this way,” said Tiffany, who declined to provide a last name.
“We are rethinking about it, the trailer and the packing.”
The shopping center also hosts Puna Community Medical Center.
Dan Domizio, clinical programs director, said the medical center established an annex on the south side of Pahoa in case lava crossed the highway and split the town.
All of its operations could be transferred there if the shopping center becomes inundated, but Domizio said there wouldn’t be space for any extra equipment.
“We have a bunch of boxes, we have the promise of Matson containers,” Domizio said. “Then the question is: where do we set up?”
If lava destroys the medical center’s existing location, it may also threaten property nearby that it plans to eventually use for emergency room services.
The state has approved a lease and funding assistance for the project, but all that could end up delayed.
“Obviously, we are going to have to find another site and start the whole process all over again,” Domizio said, if the worst happens.
Meanwhile, work to create the Chain of Craters alternate route continues.
Warren Lee, county Public Works director, said the road from Kalapana into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will likely be ready for use late this month. It would be opened should lava cross all other routes in and out of lower Puna.
Previously, the road was expected to be complete early this month. The schedule change was the result of the crews’ work week being reduced from 60 hours to 40 hours to prevent burnout, Lee said.
The next community meeting on the lava flow will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Pahoa High School cafeteria.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-
herald.com.
