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COURTESY HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY
Breakouts remain active and are still situated around the ground crack system, near the abandoned well site.
PAHOA, HAWAII » If lava from Kilauea Volcano remains stable throughout the weekend, Hawaii County officials will be implementing a plan to reopen a portion of Pahoa Village Road on Thanksgiving Day.
Officials closed the road between Apaa Street and Post Office Road on Oct. 26 when lava was heading toward the area. Since Oct. 30, however, the flow front has remained stalled 480 feet from the road.
The county is working with Hawaii Electric Light Co. on plans to remove protective barriers around poles on the road, Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira said Friday. Once the materials are removed and the county Department of Public Works deems the road safe, it will be open for traffic, he said.
However, the road could be closed again if lava flow activity picks up.
Discussion is also underway to allow for public viewing of the lava on Apaa Street — first for students, then for the public.
Also, the county is shuttering the incident command center and informational resource center, both of which have been operating out of the Pahoa Community Center for the past several weeks. The resource center closed Friday, and the command center will close Saturday.
"All agencies will be asked to be prepared to resume operation if something changes," Oliveira said.
The most recent lava activity is occurring 3.6 miles upslope of Apaa Street in an area on the north side of the existing flow pad. That breakout — about 0.3 mile northeast of an abandoned geothermal well and about 1.2 miles west of Kaohe Homesteads — advanced 400 yards from Thursday to Friday.
There was no sign of an active breakout downslope of the crack system as of Friday. Other breakouts were still active farther upslope closer to Puu Oo.
