The Puu Oo lava flow is prompting fresh concerns as it continues its march toward populated areas.
Darryl Oliveira, county Civil Defense administrator, said a meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Pahoa Community Center to update the community on its status and potential contingency plans. Additional meetings will be held at the same time and place Tuesday and Thursday.
“We’re just making sure we are monitoring the situation and are being as prepared as we can to establish alternate (evacuation) routes,” he said.
The flow, which began June 27, had reached 6.6 miles northeast of the vent Friday and may have advanced almost 1 mile through a crack in the past four days.
It has surpassed the edge of the extinct Kahaualea flows, which reached 5.5 miles over 18 months.
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory labeled the current flow, which began after the Kahaualea 2 flow ended, as a “potential concern” in an announcement. But it also cautioned the flow could become an “immediate threat” in weeks or months if it continued to advance.
Oliveira said the closest community to the flow is Kaohe Homesteads, located just southwest of Pahoa village. Additional information will be posted on the Civil Defense website as it becomes available, he said.
HVO said forecasting the flow’s exact path can be affected by subtle variations in topography, changes in lava supply, and “where or how lava enters or exits ground cracks along the rift zone.”
“We’re waiting to see what happens in this crack, whether it continues on this track or comes up to the surface or does something else,” said Jim Kauahikaua, HVO scientist-in-charge.
How the flow may continue to act is hard to predict, Oliveira also cautioned. But he said residents should be aware of where it is in relation to them.
The flow is moving on two fronts. Its northern branch is advancing across fairly flat land, HVO said.
The southern branch entered the crack Thursday. Kauahikaua said it can’t be seen from the air but scientists are tracing steam to try to follow its movement.
Another overflight is scheduled for today.
The flow is moving farther to the south than the Kahaualea 1 and 2 flows.
Kauahikaua said the current flow is following a more narrow path, which allows it to move faster.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
