Pahoa stores to reopen as lava’s threat recedes

PAHOA, Hawaii » Two breakouts of lava upslope were crusting over Thursday, while the newest flow front heading toward Highway 130 showed signs of widening but had not advanced during the past few days.

The two breakouts up-slope, about 1 to 1.5 miles from the flow front, showed little signs of activity, said Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oli­veira.

"They were dark black and crusted over," he said of the tips of the breakouts.

Meanwhile, the previously advancing flow, which hadn’t moved since Tuesday — when it oozed about 15 yards in a 24-hour period — was demonstrating some signs of widening.

The flow measured about 150 to 200 yards wide, Oli­veira said, and the front remained 0.4 mile from Highway 130 and west of the Pahoa police and fire stations.

As the lava may be stalling again before threatening the area’s main highway, multiple stores in the Big Island community are taking it as a sign to reopen for business.

Longs Drugs in Pahoa will reopen Monday.

Mike DeAngelis, director of public relations for CVS Pharmacy, which owns and operates the facility, said the store will resume its regular hours and that any employees who were sent to work in other stores will return to the Pahoa location.

"We made this decision based on current lava flow patterns, but of course will continue to monitor the situation," he said.

The store, which employs about 50 people, closed Dec. 20 as molten rock was making its way toward an industrialized area outside Pahoa.

The flow prompted numerous businesses to close just days before Christmas. The lava has since stalled about 600 yards behind Pahoa Marketplace.

Representatives of Ace Hardware, located within the shopping center, recently announced their plans to reopen operations Feb. 1. Malama Market and Lex Brodie’s Tires are preparing to reopen but have not set a date.

Since the so-called June 27 lava flow first became an imminent threat to the lower Puna district in August, the slow-moving disaster has consumed a house, overtaken a cemetery, penetrated the fence of a multimillion-dollar waste and recycling facility and caused more than 1,000 students to switch schools.

Lava also caused numerous brush fires in the area.

Civil Defense reported all fires had been contained, and there was no fire threat as of Thursday.