Slow-motion disaster tough to live with

That the natural disaster still unfolding in Pahoa is known as the June 27 lava flow sums up the stressful uncertainty of coping with the effects of a volcanic eruption. Unlike a storm that wreaks havoc but allows for immediate rebuilding because it blows through quickly, damage from a lava flow can occur in fits and starts over weeks, months or years — or in the best-case scenario, be averted altogether if the lava stalls.

It’s a tough way to live, so it’s reassuring to hear from Gov. David Ige that Pahoa residents remain generally upbeat, sticking together as a community as the threat persists all these months later. The governor, who visited the area, pledged to push for "maximum assistance" from the state as needs arise.

Remember, Molokai is still part of Hawaii

It’s troubling that alleged vigilantism is being hailed as heroism on Molokai. As sympathetic as we are to the resource issues at play — Molokai fishermen don’t like outsiders plying nearshore waters — the rule of law must apply and must prevail. Boarding someone’s boat and taking violent action, which four Molokai fishermen are accused of doing, is not the appropriate response. Moreover, claiming resources solely for one island in an inter-dependent archipelago state is a slippery slope. Molokai benefits from a statewide disbursement of all sorts of resources, and that side of the story should not be overlooked.