The June 27 lava flow continued its advance toward Pahoa on Friday, traveling nearly 10 to 15 yards per hour, Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira said Friday afternoon.
The leading edge of the flow is now about 150 yards from Apaa Street, near the Pahoa Transfer Station, in the Kaohe Homesteads subdivision of Puna. Based on the current rate the flow is traveling, lava could cross the roadway within 12 to 15 hours, or between midnight and the early morning hours on Saturday, Oliveira said. The nearest residence is located on a large parcel across from the Pahoa Transfer Station.
The flow’s pace has slowed since Thursday because it has exited a gully and reached an area that is flatter causing the lava to broaden, said Mike Poland with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The flow is expected to continue broadening during the next day or so.
A lobe that broke out Friday on the southeast side of the flow is also diverting some of the lava from the flow front, he added. If the breakout does advance, it is expected to take a parallel path to the current flow front.
Oliveira on Thursday said that the lava flow had picked up speed because it was traveling in the gully, which was “making the movement more efficient as it is moving down the hill.” Between 7 a.m. Wednesday and 8:30 a.m. Friday, the flow progressed 855 yards.
Apaa Street and Cemetery Road remain closed between the Pahoa Transfer Station and Kaohe Homesteads Road. The Pahoa Transfer Station will close at 6 p.m. on Friday. Recycling services, including green waste, scrap metal, white goods, HI-5 and reuse areas closed at noon Friday in order to allow time to move equipment.
A new temporary site has been selected, and operations are scheduled to begin at the new site on Saturday at 6 a.m. The new site is located on Kauhale Road above the Pahoa Neighborhood Facility.
Civil Defense and public safety personnel will be operating in the area around the clock to maintain close observation of the flow. A 24-hour command center has been also established.
If an evacuation is warranted, a warning would be given three to five days before lava might hit residential areas, Oliveira said earlier this week.
Civil Defense and Public Safety personnel will be conducting door to door notifications of residents in the downslope areas of Pahoa Village on Saturday to ensure residents are aware of current activities. These notifications are not a notice to evacuate.
The flow is now about 1 mile from Highway 130 and less than a mile from Pahoa Village Road, according to Civil Defense.
If the lava crosses Highway 130, as many as 10,000 people could become isolated, Oliveira said Thursday. He noted that the estimate is based on 2010 Census numbers that showed a population of 8,000 in the area.
Earlier this week, the county, overseen by the National Park Service and Federal Highways Administration, began clearing a 5.4-mile portion of Chain of Craters Road, which has been covered by lava for 37 years, to provide an alternative route should the highway become blocked. This follows work by the county to clear a 2.2-mile portion of Highway 130 that was covered in lava to where it meets with the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park boundary and Chain of Craters Road.
Warren Lee, Public Works director, estimated Friday afternoon that the road will be ready by early December.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie on Friday signed a request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration asking for federal assistance to supplement local emergency protective measures in response to the ongoing Kilauea Lava Flow.
Very little burning activity associated with the lava flow was reported Thursday. There is no brush fire threat at this time, Hawaii County Civil Defense officials said.
The flow is not visible and cannot be accessed from any public areas, according to Civil Defense.
The County of Hawaii has established an Incident Command Center and Informational Resource Center at the Pahoa Community Center. Residents are invited to the information center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday next week for answers to their questions.