The June 27 lava flow, after stalling less than a half-mile from businesses just in time for Christmas, is giving merchants a much appreciated holiday reprieve. ADVERTISING The June 27 lava flow, after stalling less than a half-mile from businesses
The June 27 lava flow, after stalling less than a half-mile from businesses just in time for Christmas, is giving merchants a much appreciated holiday reprieve.
“We got a Christmas blessing for sure,” said Alpha Petersen, an employee at Jungle Love.
The clothing store is located at the back of Pahoa Marketplace, about 720 yards (0.4 miles) from where the flow front stopped late Monday.
The flow front remained stalled Tuesday about 0.6 miles from Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road, with the closest lava breakout occurring 300 yards uplsope from its leading edge.
In the meantime, Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said daily overflights of the flow will continue.
“If the lava doesn’t stop, I don’t stop,” he said.
While the leading edge has ground to a halt, geologists caution the flow is not showing an indication of coming to an end.
“This flow is still very, very active,” said Steven Brantley, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory deputy scientist-in-charge, while referring to several breakouts upslope.
But the current lull at the front is giving many in its path a reason to hope and remain optimistic.
After all, this wouldn’t be the first time it stopped just shy of buildings and major roads.
The flow, while following its first path into Pahoa, stopped 480 feet from Pahoa Village Road in late October and a few feet from a berm a resident built to protect his home. Breakouts continued upslope for a few weeks, eventually claiming a residence, before that branch became inactive.
This time, the flow front stopped about 20 yards from a firebreak cut into the forest a few months ago.
“It looks like it’s going to follow suit,” said Steve Baker, owner of Paradise Business Center, also located in the marketplace. He remained cautiously optimistic Tuesday.
“It can change day by day and that’s how we’re taking it,” Baker said.
Oliveira said the closest breakout to the front was burning vegetation around its edges but it didn’t appear to be advancing as of Tuesday morning.
He said it’s possible it could eventually become the leading edge.
In anticipation of lava’s arrival, most of the businesses at the marketplace have closed, resulting in dozens of workers losing their jobs or being relocated.
Oliveira said he has not heard of any planning to return before the flow stops entirely.
“Likely they will want to wait until they see the more long-term outcome before bringing inventory back in,” he said.
Eight of an estimated 21 businesses in the shopping center remain open.
Businesses outside the flow path also have had to consider whether to stay open or relocate.
One business, The Locavore Store, relocated Dec. 8 from their downtown Pahoa location to 60 Kamehameha Ave. in Hilo because of the concerns about the lava and uncertainty about their lease, said co-owner Catarina Zaragoza.
“If it wasn’t for the lava, we would have waited,” she said. The store sells locally-grown produce and other products made on island.
Zaragoza said they were lucky to find a good location quickly but face the challenge of rebuilding a customer base in a new town.
“I was pretty resistant to leave Pahoa,” she said. “We talked about it, the possibility of having a second place in Hilo.”
“Now this will be reversed,” she said, adding they might return to Pahoa one day with a satellite location.
Another business to leave Pahoa recently is Longs Drugs, which shuttered its location across Pahoa Village Road from the marketplace Saturday.
In an effort to to pick up the slack left by the closure, the Longs on Kilauea Avenue in Hilo will be open 24 hours until further notice, said company spokesman Mike DeAngelis. The store started its new hours Sunday.
“Our downtown Hilo store has become 24 hrs as part of our transferring operations from our Pahoa store,” he wrote in an email Tuesday afternoon. “However, Pahoa customers can use any Longs Drug store of their choice for their pharmacy needs.”
All employees from the Pahoa store were transferred to other stores, including the downtown Hilo location, he added.
Bay Clinic said it is teaming up with Walgreens Pharmacy to deliver medications to Pahoa.
The clinic said the service begins Monday at its Family Health Center, 15-2866 Pahoa Village Road, and will be available from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, contact Bay Clinic at 965-9711.
The Railroad Avenue alternate route, opened Saturday to allow motorists time to adjust in case the highway is severed, remains open.
County officials are requesting drivers stay on the route through subdivisions to lessen the impact to residents.
“Traffic will flow smoother and people will get there just as safe,” said Warren Lee, county Public Works director.
Staff Writer Colin M. Stewart contributed to this report.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
