PAHOA, Hawaii, Oct. 29 (UPI) —
Residents of a Hawaiian village threatened by a lava flow from Kilauea Volcano were advised Wednesday to move elsewhere if they have medical problems.
State health officials said that the advancing lava could close the highway providing access to Pahoa, preventing ambulances from getting through.
The lava continued to move forward at about 10 yards an hour. It began its advance on the Big Island of Hawaii several weeks ago.
While the advancing lava threatened 50 or 60 buildings, including houses, one of the biggest immediate problems was expected to be an influx of sightseers. Darryl Oliveira, the Hawaii County civil defense administrator, said that members of the National Guard were to be sent to the area Wednesday to handle traffic and tourists.
Residents of the area have had plenty of time to prepare for evacuation. Jeff and Denise Lagrimas packed up the contents of their home, although the current predicted path of the lava flow would spare it.
"I don’t want to stick around and just wait for it to come and take it," Denise Lagrimas told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "You just never know."
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.