Starting in June, the lava that has erupted from the volcano Kilauea has been threatening to destroy homes in the village of Pahoa, Hawaii by flowing in an irregular direction towards the north. The lava from Kilauea is moving at five to ten meters per hour, inching closer and closer to the homes and sheds of the people of Pahoa.

The flow of the lava surprised the people since it typically flows south into the nearby ocean. However, this time, the lava is flowing north towards the village. Geologists have been trying to forecast the path of the lava in order to keep the villagers safe, but the authorities refuse to take any chances. They have begun to evacuate Pahoa in order to prepare for the worst. The local authorities have taken down power lines in the path of the lava as well as evacuated 40 to 50 homes that could be threatened by the lava itself or the toxic gasses released by the volcano.

Senior Gillian Galang, who has family on the island, shed some hope on the situation. “ I recently talked to my uncle and they’ve been given instruction by their government on a regular basis regarding the progress of the lava [and] the quality of air. Earthquakes to California are what volcanic eruptions are to Hawaii. [The inhabitants] are prepared for it; they know how to deal with it. ”

Authorities are considering closing Pahoa High School to protect the children from any threats the lava or gasses create. The lava also threatens to cut off a nearby highway since it less than a thousand meters from the current pathway of the lava.

The Hawaiian Director of Civil Defense, Darryl Oliveira, has considered cutting a pathway in the highway for the lava to flow, but in the meantime, construction workers are finishing the repair on another part of the highway that was destroyed in a previous volcanic eruption.

As of now, the biggest question among the villagers and the authorities is exactly how much lava will come out of Kilauea and what they can do to prevent any further damage by this force of nature.

“My thoughts go out to the people of Hawaii who have been evacuated from their houses and to those who have lost their homes and belongings due to the natural disaster. I know that they will recover from this,” Galang said in closing.