Leilani Estates evacuees say final farewell to homes

By Bruce Asato

June 29, 2018

Ken “Super Kenny” Peeler today moved out of the Leilani Estates home he had been renting for nearly seven years.
The three-bedroom house still stands unscathed from the destructive lava flow. Some of Peeler’s friends helped him with the move.
Leilani Estates residents who were evacuated due to the volcanic eruption were allowed into their properties to recover personal belongings today.
Friends of Ken “Super Kenny” Peeler helped to move his belongings in view of the plume of emissions from the fissure 8 eruption.
Most of the tall trees and plants on the property were largely defoliated from two months of exposure to noxious gases from nearby lava flows.
The yard was strewn with shiny black nuggets of volcanic pumice that weighed little more than cotton candy and disintegrated with a crunch under foot.
Ken “Super Kenny” Peeler and his roommate Elizabeth Kerekgyarto had brought about a dozen helpers in a U-Haul truck and five other vehicles to pack their remaining possessions.
According to Hawaii County, the latest official tally of homes destroyed by the Kilauea eruption is 668, confirmed using real property tax records and aerial surveys.
The number does not include three houses that were reported lost in Kapoho Beach Lots over the past three days.
Friends of Ken “Super Kenny” Peeler helped to move his belongings.