2018 Kilauea Volcano East Rift Zone Eruption

Plus, depression over the homes and beautiful oceanfront spots lost forever.

When you lose your home to a flood or hurricane, you can usually rebuild on the same spot. When your home is buried forever under 40 feet of lava, you can never rebuild on that spot.

Higher view?

Don't they still own the "land" over which the lava flowed? They might not be able to build ever again down there but I would expect that the property is still theirs.

David

The property remains theirs, minus the utility framework that's been destroyed. And even if they don't mind being off the grid, newly created lava land is very fragile, and not something people can or should build atop. I would say the land is essentially worthless for quite some time.

New land created along the shoreline is the property of Hawaii, unless it's connected to a national park, in which case in becomes federal land.

Of course. I'm not making light of losses. But with a flood, fire, tornado, earthquake, and sometimes even with a hurricane, you can't get out, and you die. The ability to be depressed is a luxury that many victims of other natural disasters don't even get.

Sure, just as property that inundates because of rising seal levels still belongs to the people who own it. Now worthless, but they own it. Not sure where your argument is going.

At least a) they still own a piece of property which now has an elevated/higher view of the planet and b) as others mentioned, assuming they can return, living off the grid is very acceptable in HI.

David

That's a poor assumption. Lava isn't soil. It's rock. Where nothing grows. Where, now, no streets are. It's like telling someone they can easily live above the treeline on a bare rock mountain face because, hey, living off the grid is very acceptable.

If the people had a mortgage, they still owe the monthly payments, even if they are not allowed to return. Generally, if they were inured, insurance should cover the loss of the house IF it was damaged by burning. Being covered with liquid rock is generally not covered.

The county will restrict people from going back into certain areas because of the lack of roads, inability for emergency crews to get in, lack of utilities and danger from gas, lava and new fissures. Things must settle down considerably before people are allowed to resettle there. The county is also trying to protect what little people still own in these areas by limiting who can get in and for what purpose.

Tourism has taken a big hit. People cancelled because of vog and not knowing or understanding just how big the Big Island really is (The size of Connecticut by the way). Most people would be staying 60 miles or so from this event.

There is some smoke/vog in the air, but it is better than most cities if you are away from the actual flow. We have had that haze for weeks now and it has kept that famous ocean view hidden for people a few miles from the beach.

That's not very likely. The Hawaiian Monk Seal is an endangered species.

Not necessarily (and not withstanding your seal typo ) - depending on State law, public land may start at a certain point, such as in California, the mean high tide line over a time period certain.

Look, the County of Hawaii (the Big Island), has plenty of experience with what happens after eruptions. Whether they will permit and approve actual habitation will be assessed when and if these flows end. As it appears from your FlyerTalk handle, there's plenty of folks in the state of Colorado who do live above the treeline in less than marginal conditions. This will take years - as has the assessments, rebuilds vs. not allowed to rebuild, etc. have played out over X number of lava events over the decades in and around the Big Island.

Getting back on topic, it would be interesting to find out how many FTs have switched islands to avoid what's going on the Big Island - or who've decided to jump on availability as the lava continues to flow.

David

Now noted as closed through July 13th.

Just got back from a short 2 night stay in Kailua-Kona. Vog was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, similar to how it has always been. That would still keep me from staying in that area if I were on vacation.

As for building on lava fields, go to google maps, and zoom in very close to the Kalapana Area. There you will see what it looks like when people rebuild on lava fields. To each their own, but I would rather be homeless with a shopping cart, just about anywhere else in the world.