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August 5, 2010 – Kalapana, Hawaii

Produced by David Corrigan and Tim Bryan

As lava from east rift zone flows forward, residents of the Kalapana Gardens subdivision are resigned to what seems like a familiar fate.

In 1990, the subdivision was completely destroyed by lava, and today’s activity is following a similar path of destruction. One home has already been consumed by Tutu Pele, and several others are only several feet away from the advancing pahoehoe.

For residents like musician Bo Lozoff, it is a stressful waiting game… but also, an inspiration…

Lozoff, like many living in the area, has been documenting the spread of the lava into the subdivision.

This video marks the end of Fox’s Landing, a popular and secluded black sand beach used by the residents of Kalapana Gardens… now, just a memory.

Lozoff says the anxiety caused by the advancing lava is compounded by the onslaught of tourists, coming to the road’s end for a closer look.

Because of these and other concerns, the residents of Kalapana met with mayor Billy Kenoi, County Civil Defense director Quince Mento, and other county agencies on Friday.

During the meeting, the group of imperiled home owners bickered over tourist intrusion, and some residents accused others of trying to profit off of the situation unfairly.

It was ultimately decided that the gates to the subdivision would be locked, and keys given out to the property owner only.

But foremost on the minds of the residents were rumors of evacuation.

County officials also promised to close off the public viewing area if the situation continued to get worse.

Sure enough, the viewing area was shut down over the weekend, as the lava burned closer to a number of homes in the subdivision. County officials also hope to petition the Federal Aviation Administration to create a “no fly zone” over the ocean entry to stop the noisy helicopter traffic from rattling residents.

But for folks like Bo Lozoff, it all comes with the territory…

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