Mount Kilauea in Hawaii continues to erupt, with lava pausing just shy of a shopping center in Pahoa.
The Kilauea volcano began its current eruption in 1983, exhibiting varying rates of magma escaping to the surface. Earlier in 2014, a stream of lava turned toward Pahoa, and has spent months heading toward the town of less than 1,000 people. On June 24, the molten rock cut across the only major highway into town, cutting residents off from surrounding communities. The village stretches over less than 2.2 square miles.
"The tip of a lava flow front consisting of north and south branches was observed to have stalled as of midday Monday. The stalled flow continues to have some surface breakouts behind the flow front as of this morning, according to Civil Defense," the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported.
The great variability in flow rates makes it extremely challenging to predict how lava flows could change, possibly endangering buildings and communities.
"Advancement of the flow continued at a slower rate, compared to last week, and the flow moved about 265 meters (290 yards) since Friday's mapping," Officials from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, managed by the U.S. Geological Survey, reported on December 22.
Hawaii County Civil Defense officials have not yet called for a mandatory evacuation of Pahoa, but some people and businesses have already fled the village in advance of the lava flow. This situation has made holiday shopping difficult, as residents slowly navigate along temporary roads set up for traffic diverted from the blocked highway. While some businesses held fire sales anticipating possible damage from lava, others simply closed, hoping for the best. This made it difficult for employees to pay for holiday shopping without needed paychecks.
"We are trying to get ready for this, but we have a small store, a small parking lot, a small staff. We are trying to create more storage and are ordering backups of supplies when we do run out, but when we place an order, it takes at least 10 days to get here," Cienna Cohen, grocery buyer for Island Naturals, one of the few open shops in Pahoa, said.
Many shoppers from Pahoa are traveling to the nearby city of Hilo, with a population of over 40,000 people. Travel conditions brought about by the volcano have increased the length of the 36-mile-long journey between the enclaves to over two hours.
On December 23, lava from Kilauea was resting just 700 yards away from Pahoa Marketplace.
