There is no natural event for which the overused term “awesome” is so fitting than the disaster unfolding in the volcanic rift zone of Kilauea. And that eruption, accompanied by its associated earthquakes, serves as a reminder that the term can describe something fearsome, too.

The destructive power of advancing lava is stunning. It moves slowly but inexorably and violently consumes everything.

Pahoa residents have been allowed to check on their property if that can be done safely, but there are still some who have resisted the order to vacate altogether.

One hopes they will quickly come to their senses and get away to safety. Putting oneself at risk — with any expectation that first responders should risk their own lives in a late rescue — defies all logic.

That note aside, those suffering displacement — or, at best, uncertainty — surely deserve and need every ounce of charity this state can muster. People should act on that sympathetic instinct and find ways to reach out, but the best means of support may not be the first thing that springs to mind.

Up to 1,800 residents of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens have been forced to evacuate; so far, some 35 buildings have been destroyed, at least 26 of them homes.

The County of Hawaii as well as the state will have their work cut out for them, in helping the evacuees get resettled. Many people who opt to live in the Puna district do so for the opportunity to live “off the grid.”

Social services must track the evacuees, including those who have chosen to steer clear of anything institutional such as a shelter, or Hawaii island will find its homeless population notching up.

But most are simply residents like anyone else, people for whom places such as Leilani Estates and the neighboring subdivision under the evacuation order, Lanipuna Gardens, may have represented their best chance for home ownership.

There is an organized effort to help people, especially those who have lost their homes, to get back on their feet. Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) has established a recovery center at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 15-3003 Pahoa Village Road, across from Pahoa High School. There is no phone contact, but victims of the eruption can walk in and seek assistance with government aid and insurance there.

However, people throughout the state also want to reach out and help them, in small but personal ways.

The impulse to simply drop donations off at the two Red Cross shelters for evacuees — the Pahoa and Keaau community centers — has been discouraged. Instead, The Salvation Army asks large- volume donors of meals to call (808) 756-0306; others should call 988-2136. The charity is working to coordinate contributions, whether monetary or in-kind, until a physical distribution center in Puna can be established.

Spokesman David Sayre said food and bottled water are needed. The county’s food bank, the Hawaii Food Basket, is handling that at (808) 933-6030. The American Red Cross of Hawaii (www.redcross/org/local/hawaii) also accepts donations in cases of disaster. And First Hawaiian Bank has established the Aloha for Hawaii Fund.

Finally, crowdfunding is another, more grassroots avenue for potential donors. The site GoFundMe.com has guaranteed the proper distribution of donations to verified campaigns found at www.gofundme.com/cause/hawaii- volcano. Crowdfunding can represent a genuine show of community spirit, but contributors must be alert to signs of fraud, as well.

Volcanologists had been anticipating this eruption for some time, technology for measuring the warning signs having improved in recent decades. But nobody could have foreseen the collecting magma pool sinking at Pu‘u O‘o and then blasting through new subterranean routes to resurface where it did, a place where no lava had flowed in half a century.

The lesson here: Hawaii revels in its relative tranquility and security. But every now and again Mother Nature — or the fire goddess Pele, according to Hawaiian tradition — lets us know who’s in charge. Awesome, indeed.