Looking at Pahoa (Hilo: buying, prices, beaches)

[terracore]

"Once the flow cools off, I guess the county or state will come in and clear the lava."

Thanks for the evening laugh. I believe removing the tiny bit of lava that affected the multi-million dollar transfer station is the county's first venture into lava removal, other than for evacuation routes.

You need to go take a look at Kalapana, or Royal Gardens, or.... you get the picture.

[Mark.ca]

Originally Posted by terracore

You need to go take a look at Kalapana, or Royal Gardens, or.... you get the picture.

Ah...come on. You are just trying to scare him. Lava seems to take a sub every 20 years or so and the last one was.....well, I'm sure there will be many months they will be able to enjoy the house. Seriously, why would anyone buy a house in the path of an ACTIVE lava flow is hard to understand. The flow stalling for a month means nothing.

[hotzcatz]

Usually the County seems to abandon roads once they've been covered by lava. Although they seem to be doing something with Chain of Craters as an emergency access if/when the lava crosses the highway, Railroad and finally the beach access road. So, the County is spending millions fixing up Chain of Craters with the expectation that the lava will take out all the roads into lower Puna. But, maybe a house on Kahukai won't be eaten. If it isn't eaten, then which side of the flow will it be on, though? The Hilo side or the Puna side? Hopefully the daughter's job is on the same side of the lava flow as the house.

[Lodestone]

Originally Posted by Mark.ca

Seriously, why would anyone buy a house in the path of an ACTIVE lava flow is hard to understand. The flow stalling for a month means nothing.

Well, if the price is right (and it Puna, it is) any purchase makes sense...but seriously, is ANY part of Puna, or for that matter the SE half of Hawaii "safe" from lava? Pu'u o'o could just as easily resume flowing south into the ocean, or head NNE to HPP... about the only way it CAN'T go is N or NW (uphill). Pu'u o'o has basically been leaking lava nonstop for 30 years. And, for that matter, Mauna Loa is by no means extinct.

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by Lodestone

And, for that matter, Mauna Loa is by no means extinct.

Neither is Hualālai.

[Mark.ca]

Of course the SE Puna is not safe but the odds are stacked against you when the flow is comimg towards you, don't you think? Do you want to pay 100k for a house and get 1-2 years of use out of it?

[Sherwoody]

Originally Posted by Jonah K

Neither is Hualālai.

Right above Kailua/Kona?

[Lodestone]

Originally Posted by Mark.ca

Of course the SE Puna is not safe but the odds are stacked against you when the flow is comimg towards you, don't you think? Do you want to pay 100k for a house and get 1-2 years of use out of it?

Good point, I guess we differ on the current probabilities (and we're both just guessing). Now that two runs at Pahoa have come up short and a new flow is siphoning off lava near the source, there is the possibility that this as far as they will go. Most of the businesses that closed in Pahoa have reopened. If Pahoa feels safe, certainly HS is, 4 miles further downslope.
Also, the lines of steepest descent flow in the unpopulated gap between HPP and HB/HS, so there is a possibility that it will all just dump into the sea, if it can go that far.
And, every flow that fails and cools make a new berm, diverting future flows.
Or, Pu u o'o could just shut down. All vents do eventually, it's overdue.
Or, it could resume flowing south, into the sea.
Or, a diversion ditch will be seen a feasible and dug.
Or, insurance companies will start selling lava insurance in south Puna again in a year or two.
All told, my WAG (wild-ass guess) on the chances for a house at an elevated lot in HS to be destroyed by lava in the next 20 years: lets say... 1 in 5. If that is the case, getting a house for a third of the price of most houses in the islands is an excellent gamble.
But, to your point, who really knows?

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by Sherwoody

Right above Kailua/Kona?

Yep, that's the one. Hualālai will probably erupt again; however, no one knows when. While volcanic hazards are a part of life on the Big Island, it's not something that keeps most folks up at night.
https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/HCV/hualalai.html
http://westhawaiitoday.com/sections/...uption-be.html

[hotzcatz]

Here's my favorite part of the Wikipedia entry on Hualalai: "Despite maintaining a very low level of activity since its last eruption in 1801, Hualālai is still considered active, and is expected to erupt again some time within the next century. The relative unpreparedness of the residents in the area caused by the lull in activity would worsen the consequences of such an event."

Apparently the slopes are much steeper and the lava would flow a lot faster, too.