Prayers for the Big Island

No. Our house is unlivable for now. If we are spared a direct hit from the lava then the poisonous gases make it uninhabitable. This volcanic event could last for many years (the Kaapana flow lasted 35 years.) We are currently looking for a place on Big Island to start over.

I hope that you were able to get the things out that you'll need to begin again.
 
No. Our house is unlivable for now. If we are spared a direct hit from the lava then the poisonous gases make it uninhabitable. This volcanic event could last for many years (the Kaapana flow lasted 35 years.) We are currently looking for a place on Big Island to start over.

So sorry to hear, Chuck. My heart breaks for you and others in the area, hope you got your valuable equipment out of there along with yourselves and your pets. Laki Maikaʻi :shaka:
 
35 years?! Was it as active as this one for that long?

Prayers that you are able to find a home and start over.

Pretty much steady the entire time. The difference between that flow and this is is that this flow is moving much faster and it's in a residential neighborhood. The Kalapana flow took over 300 homes over 35 years. So far we've lost 82 structures in just a few weeks.
 
Pretty much steady the entire time. The difference between that flow and this is is that this flow is moving much faster and it's in a residential neighborhood. The Kalapana flow took over 300 homes over 35 years. So far we've lost 82 structures in just a few weeks.

What can we do to help you get reestablished?
 
And to make matters worse many o these home owners (us included) carry no insurance against lava/fire damage. "IF" you can get it it's prohibitively expensive for most folks who live in lava zones 1 & 2. (Leilani Estates is all in lava zone 1. They should never have allowed a subdivision to be built there in the first place.

I suppose people take their chances when the rent/land in those areas are cheaper and Hawaii is so expensive, but I agree with you, they shouldn't be building in zone 1. Reminds me of an article I read about a subdivision in Houston that was in a flood pool zone--the reservoir was opened to save downtown Houston and the waters from Hurricane Harvey inundated the area. Nobody had flood insurance, but in this case it was because the homeowners had no idea that they were in any kind of flood zone within what was a dry reservoir. Their houses are still standing, of course, but they got screwed. There never should have been houses there.

I'm sorry you can't return to your home--it must be hard, for you and so many others. Hopefully your new start will go well for you.
 
E55FB702-931F-4EAD-8685-FBF48994CD6D.jpgDFB22EB1-90E5-4763-B147-CA3ED637198D.jpgCBB59E13-FD08-4FBD-ABFB-9697CB9951FD.jpg600+ homes and structures as of this morning apparently. My father lost his house in the fires in N. California as did many of my friends (my best man from my wedding, many I worked with, this past October in Santa Rosa, CA. (why I have been offline a while). He has the clothes on his back and his car. That was it!

Dealing with losing everything and starting over is emotionally draining and sets you into a spin of emotions. You can replace where you live but there are many things you can’t replace. I lost all my childhood videos, photos of my family which I don’t have other photos of, etc. I feel for Chuck and Andy, and others on the Big Island going through the event of losing a home. My dad was a blues harmonica player and lost it all, including many custom built mics and custom harmonicas and amps from people who aren’t around any longer. All his artwork was very limited and can’t be replaced so he is still depressed. He has a new place to live but he feels it will never be his home after 77 years of making a life there. Even worse he is in a condo because that is all he could afford and hates it.

He would of been one of the people who died as his home was the first hit over the hill before it wiped out his entire subdivision. By some miracle he was tired the night before and stayed at our house about 80 miles South after visiting my daughter in College. So, we still have him and he knows how fortunate he was which is #1.

I have family in Kona who were on the phone with my mom when the big quake hit a while back. It’s definitely a very sad situation and thankfully there has been no mass loss of life. I pray for everyone as I am just getting through the hardest part with my dad and losing everything. Yes, he did have insurance so he could find a place to live but it won’t replace a lot of him that he feels he lost.

Family and friends are #1. Sorry for the sideways photos. Looked normal on my end but can't figure how to rotate them.
 
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Here's a bit of an article I wrote about my five favorite links to stay updated on the eruption activity on Hawai'i Island. I like these because they reflect the experiences of area residents and not "sensationalized" news from outside the region. http://ukuleletonya.com/blog/2018/06/my-five-best-links-for-volcano-updates

Thanks for the links, Tonya, especially love the map. Since I'm an old retired Land Surveyor, maps have always been my thing, that link is the best I've seen, it gives a great perspective. My heart goes out to all affected. People have not just lost their homes, but many are there but inaccessible or uninhabitable.

The mainland news has pretty much stopped coverage of this event, but it goes on and on...:shaka:
 
The lava flow hasn't really changed course in the last couple of weeks, so the national news likewise hasn't been covering it. Locals, of course, need different information than I do way out here in Ohio. I saw that the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has sustained some serious damage, and buildings may be sliding into Halema'uma'u crater. My husband and I visited the park on our honeymoon, and it's sad to think that it will be forever changed. There may be a new public viewing area established, which hopefully will prevent trespassers putting themselves in danger and/or bugging the locals.

I did see on Facebook that Chuck Moore was able to return to his home, which is certainly good news!
 
The observatory building won't fall in - it's way up on the caldera rim and there's another wide bench level between that rim and the caldera floor. I'd imagine the main worry is that if any cracks (not huge cracks) develop under the building itself it would be costly to maintain the integrity of the building's foundation until the area becomes stable again. However, the visitor function of the observatory building at that location was to overlook the (occasional) lava in the Halemaumau pit, and if that lava is absent for a while the building doesn't have a distinct visitor purpose anyway. The vast majority of the other park buildings are to the east, so they may relocate the visitor overlook and observatory displays to that area where most of the attractions are anyway, or perhaps near the Steam Vents area which is already a popular overlook.
 
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All I know is what the park’s spokesperson stated in the article. Buildings near Halema’uma’u may fall in, or they may not. There are cracks, so it’s unlikely those buildings will be used.
 
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