As it has for the past 32 years, Kilauea Volcano continues to erupt, but the immediate danger to Pahoa town finally appears over, following six months of fear and anxiety.
Over the past few weeks, the river of 2,100-degree molten lava slowed, cooled and hardened. Life already was returning to normal in Pahoa, which until recently had never been threatened by lava in modern times.
Then last week the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory announced that it was downgrading the danger from a "warning" to a mere "watch."
"It was one more step along this collective sigh of relief we’re all breathing," said state Sen. Russell Ruderman (D, Puna), who owns the Island Naturals food store in the heart of Pahoa. "Now our community is like a puzzle that’s being put back together."
The lava came within a quarter-mile of Ruderman’s store after it first crossed Apaa Street in October, overran a house, buried a Buddhist cemetery, claimed a farmer’s shed, set a stack of tires on fire and ignited an open-air cattle shelter.
Then the lava inexplicably stalled just 480 feet from Pahoa Village Road, Pahoa’s main street; 400 yards from Pahoa Marketplace, a critical center of commerce; and about 600 yards from the police and fire stations.
Lives were thrown into uncertainty as the residents of Pahoa anxiously tried to predict what the fire goddess, Madame Pele, would do next.
The state Department of Education closed Keonepoko Elementary School and spent $3.6 million to create an emergency school out of portable modules in the parking lot of Keaau High School. The cost was well below the original estimate of $9 million.
Businesses left Pahoa, while homeowners were stuck because potential buyers could not get home insurance.
But now that the threat is over, some observers, Ruderman included, contend officials overreacted.
"All of the damage was entirely man-made — schools being relocated and businesses moving and an insurance crisis that caused our economy to faulter," Ruderman said. "It was all a man-made crisis caused by human decisions, not by the lava."
Sara Steiner of Pahoa, a 53-year-old organic farmer, paralegal, artist and clothing store employee, remains angry about how the county, state and federal governments responded last year — first from the threats of two hurricanes and then from the threat from Kilauea.
"The government has totally, totally imposed barricades, forced evacuations, enhanced criminal penalties and canceled Section 8 housing in Pahoa in its preparation," Steiner said. "People are still reeling. … I need to get rid of the anger. I’m definitely exasperated and totally disappointed. But I don’t think I’m wrong."
After months of daily — sometimes twice-daily — helicopter flights surveying the lava’s circuitous, 13.5-mile path from Puu Oo vent to Pahoa, Hawaii County Civil Defense planned to reduce and maybe eliminate its $400 flights.
And Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira will no longer record his daily radio broadcasts offering the latest information on the flow. "With the decrease in activity, there is a general sense of relief," Oliveira said. "There’s no threat currently, but we don’t want people to think it’s done, because it’s not done by any means."
Asked about criticism that officials overreacted, Oliveira said, "It’s always easy to be the Monday morning quarterback. Everybody acted responsibly and proactively. The threat was there. Government was responsive and did not just sit back and do nothing."
A clearly relieved Mayor Billy Kenoi said he was proud of how both the community and government officials responded, which included rebuilding two abandoned and overgrown roads in just 14 working days to give residents an escape route if lava crossed Highway 130, the only way in and out of the vast Puna district.
"We made the best decisions with the information we had available," Kenoi said, adding that he respects the views of those who disagree with the actions taken. "But we had a maximum response to a unique challenge. We were looking at having thousands of residents cut off from the rest of the island, basically isolated. Everybody worked together during a really difficult, emotionally challenging time because of so much uncertainty and unpredictability. I was honored to be part of such a team."
Kenoi grew up just 11 miles away from Pahoa in Kalapana, which was all but wiped off of the map by lava from Kilauea in the 1980s and 1990s.
"We had never considered that lava would go to Pahoa," Kenoi said. "In a matter of three months, we went to a full-court press, with all hands on deck. It was unprecedented."
In the aftermath, the state Department of Education plans to keep the temporary school running in the parking lot at Keaau High School.
"What we have learned is that you never know what’s going to happen next," said spokeswoman Donalyn Dela Cruz. "We made the decision to build a temporary site based on the information from the experts that the lava could cross Highway 130. Keonepoko Elementary School is still in a lava zone. There are discussions, but regardless of the downgrade, it’s too soon to make any changes for the next school year."
Ruderman has introduced legislation that would make it easier for Pahoa homeowners to get their insurance policies renewed. But he said many companies were already renewing policies because of the lack of lava activity.
"The situation has eased up," he said. "On a case-by-case basis it has been heading back to normal. More and more people have been finding that they can get insurance for a new home sale."
Hawaii County officials estimate they spent about $15 million, mostly for their share of the costs to rebuild Railroad Avenue, Government Beach Road and Chain of Craters Road — which had been buried by lava through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — to give Lower Puna residents an escape route if lava cut off Highway 130.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is pledging to reimburse $1.8 million for eight government and nonprofit projects related to the lava flow, representing 75 percent of the money that was requested.
"The downgrade of the alert does not mean the end of any federal support for any state, county or private nonprofits impacted by the event," said FEMA spokeswoman Kelly Hudson. "The federal support will continue. Nothing will change."
Private landowners who suffered losses, however, are ineligible for FEMA aid because the scope of the damage was so limited, Hudson said. State, county and private, nonprofit organizations that experienced damage or faced debris removal have until Thursday to apply for FEMA assistance.
Frances Liwai does not agree with complaints she’s heard about the government response to the lava threat.
Liwai, 62, has lived in Hawaiian Beaches for 40 years, and was shopping Friday in Pahoa at the newly reopened Malama Market, which had closed during the threat.
Liwai maintains officials reacted appropriately to a danger that had never before existed in Pahoa.
"It was good what they did," Liwai said. "We never thought it (lava) would get this far. It was a new thing for us. But they (government officials) were looking out for our safety."
Leandro Jose, Jr., 33, also of Hawaiian Beaches, insists officials had little choice.
"If you act too late, people would say they should have done this, should have done that," Jose said. "I’d rather be safe than sorry. If it affects us again, we need to deal with the situation."
