PAHOA, Hawaii » Hawaii County officials already are spending $17.6 million to more than $21 million dealing with Tropical Storm Iselle and a river of molten lava that continues to burn a path to Pahoa town.

And now Tropical Storm Ana is expected to pound the most southern and eastern tips of Hawaii island Friday with 25- to 40-foot surf that could inundate low-lying areas that saw Iselle knock homes from their foundations in August.

"It seems like it’s never-ending, one event after another," said Darryl Oli­veira, Hawaii County Civil Defense administrator.

County officials hope to be reimbursed by the federal government for much of the costs tied to the natural disasters.

So far, they plan to spend about $2.6 million contending with damage and worker overtime pay touched off by Iselle. To prepare for the possibility that Kilauea Volcano’s June 27 lava flow could sever access to Highway 130, which serves as a vital connection between the Pahoa area and the rest of the island, the county has dedicated $3 million to building two temporary artery roads. Plus, county officials estimate they’ll spend an additional $12 million to $15.5 million building a third evacuation route out of the Puna district by way of Chain of Craters Road, which is buried under previous lava flows in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Oliveira, who previously served as Hawaii County’s fire chief, knows that it’s far too soon to start estimating how much damage a third natural disaster in less than three months will cost the county.

But Tropical Storm Ana is likely to generate overtime costs for hundreds of workers, on top of potential structural damage.

Asked to compare the last three months with previous natural disasters, Oli­veira said, "This has probably been the most intense. It’s been back-to-back."

Even so, Hawaii island residents are used to pulling together.

As Iselle approached on Aug. 7, a 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck Wai­mea in the morning while people were scrambling for hurricane-related supplies and cover. Then, as county officials rode out the storm in Civil Defense headquarters, the Puna Geothermal Venture Plant announced the accidental release of hydrogen sulfide emissions.

"We do our best to prepare for everything because we understand how vulnerable we are," Oli­veira said. "Where else would you be that has a winter weather advisory, a tropical storm/hurricane situation while dealing with an eruption?"

But Iselle also taught Oli­veira that not everyone gets the word of impending dangers.

He toured the Kapoho area after Iselle blew through, and found several residents who were unaware they were even at risk from a hurricane that had been downgraded to a tropical storm when it made landfall.

Some of the homes that Iselle damaged and destroyed were two streets back from the coastline, Oli­veira said.

And now Tropical Storm Ana is forecast to deliver monster waves from Kumu­kahi — about 25 miles southeast of Hilo — to Ka­poho in the Puna district.

Oliveira described the area as "level-type terrain" that could be struck by "significant amounts of surf."

Many homes in the area sit at — or below — sea level and are not used to withstanding huge waves, Oli­veira said.

He did not immediately have an estimate for the number of people or homes in the area. But, based on their experience from Iselle, Civil Defense officials will more aggressively go door to door to warn residents about storm surge and other dangers related to Ana, he said.

"We’ll be more aggressive," Oliveira said. "With every threat, we will be preparing for the worst-case scenario."

While it’s impossible to predict the damage that Ana could cause, Oli­veira said Hawaii island can always rely on untold numbers of volunteers, some of whom cut neighbors out of homes buried under albizia trees that were knocked down by Iselle — or donated or delivered bottled water and ice to people left without power for weeks.

And there will be hundreds of government and nongovernmental workers who will work overtime to help others even as their own homes and families are at risk, Oli­veira said.

"They will have left their families to fend for themselves to serve the needs of the community," Oli­veira said.

Life has changed in Hawaii island’s Puna district since Iselle hit, said Cata­rina Zara­goza, who owns a Pahoa food and grocery business called The Locavore Store.

"None of it has been normal since the first storm," she said.

With power out after Iselle, sales were down for weeks, Zara­goza said.

Now she’s worried about the dual threats from Ana and the encroaching lava.

"Everyone is a little on edge," she said.

But, like many others, Barbara and Roy Lozano plan to stay in Pahoa town as long as Mother Nature will allow.

They run Roy’s chiropractic and massage business. And Barbara Lozano proudly pointed out that the chronic threats from natural disasters did not deter their 19-year-old son from buying a business, a used-book store, in Pahoa.

"The people who want to stay here will find a way," Lozano said.