HILO — Hawaii County Civil Defense said this morning that 117 homes are confirmed destroyed by lava.
HILO — Hawaii County Civil Defense said this morning that 117 homes are confirmed destroyed by lava.
Janet Snyder, a spokeswoman for Mayor Harry Kim, acknowledged that is a low-ball estimate and doesn’t include homes that were taken overnight by lava that entered the ocean at Kapoho Bay. She said the county doesn’t do a hard count until lava overruns are matched with property tax maps.
Snyder said Fire Department officials estimate homes taken by lava from fissure No. 8 in Kapoho is 20-40, but said laze from the ocean entry prevented officials from getting a definitive look at the damage during a morning flyover. Those homes are not included in the estimate.
She said most homes in Vacationland subdivision are still standing but are threatened, but lava went through Kapoho Beach Lots and an agricultural subdivision on its way to the ocean.
