Regarding the tragedy over on the southeast Puna side, I have some history I wanted to mention.
In about 1982 or so, my brother built a house over in Leilani Estates. I eventually stayed there for five years. Back then there was no lava destruction until about 1987 or so.
I was so blessed to be able to drive down to Kalapana where the famous black sand beach in Kaimu and the Black Sands Beach store were. There was a cool camping area called Harry K. Brown Park just across the street from another black sand beach overlooking “Drainpipe,” the surf spot.
I have a DVD of this spot in 1988. It was like Sunset Beach and Hanalei Bay wrapped into one if you are a surfer. Anyway, there was a beautiful church on the coast there that was actually lifted and taken out of there and saved from the lava.
There was another cool store down on the south end of Kalapana and also a cool queen’s pond or bath that had prawns in it and it was cool, brackish water. We would surf and then go jump in the pond. There was also a cool subdivision called Kalapana Gardens, where we went to many parties and visited a lot of friends. Just walking distance to the surf spots was awesome for them. There was also Royal Gardens just south of Kalapana Gardens, too.
We used to watch the volcano erupt once a month like clockwork to about 1,200 feet while surfing Drainpipe, if you can imagine. It was awesome!
Well, the lava started calling the shots and eventually covered that whole area including 200 homes. Luckily, everyone collected on their insurance before they changed the rules and many of them rebuilt in Leilani Estates. Yes, some people had two homes eaten by lava maybe 30 years apart. Bad luck, everyone knows what is happening to Leilani Estates now.
In 2014, the same source came within feet of taking out Pahoa but stopped. All the businesses packed and left. Since then they all came back, and a new store was built, a new fitness forever is going in, etc. A little risky, in my opinion.
I have a friend who had his home in escrow down on the Red Ocean Road where the two present flows are going into the ocean now. It was canceled escrow ($550,000) I have about five friends I know who lost homes in Leilani who are now in their cars. There is no storage available or housing pretty much over on that side, as you know.
Kona has really bad vog now but say a prayer for the real folks who are suffering and remember these days their house insurance does not cover fire by lava, trust me. An act of god is not covered ever since Kalapana. Thank god I moved to Kona in 1988.
Henry Scroggin is a resident of Holualoa.