Pele is coming to the Puna District

The town of Pahoa in the Puna District is about to have a visitor. Pele, the Hawaiian Goddess of the volcano, is about to enter town. The lava has been approaching for some time. I wrote a post last month about it. However, it has now crossed the first road in town and buried a cemetery. It is moving about 10-15 yards an hour and is about 100 yards from the nearest home. This is an anxious time for the residents in the area. Most already have evacuation plans and are just waiting for the order to go. The flow is about 600 yards from the main road in town. Beyond that road is Route 130, which is the main access into the area. At the present rate that artery may be cut next week, leaving only jeep roads for the residents to evacuate.

Notice the utility pole on the right of the picture. The base has been reinforced with heat resistant structures to protect it from the lava so that power will not be cut off to the district. It is an experiment by the power company, that is first being tried in Puna. So far it is working.

Consequently, the last pages in my book  no longer constitute a viable tour. Certainly people who are trying to evacuate do not need 100 people in their front yard. Access to the area will be restricted to residents. Work is being done on a section of Chain of Craters Road through the National Park, which has been buried by lava for years,  to allow residents a way to get out should the jeep roads be covered with lava. However, it will probably be December before that work is done and when finished it will only be accessible to residents.