2018 Lava Flow Tribute

On April 30, 2018 the lava lake inside Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater drained into the lower east rift zone followed by the lava lake at Halema‘um‘u Crater of Kīlauea Volcano and started its flow toward the sea. As we go to print for this issue, fissures 1–24 have released an unimaginable amount of lava into the communities on the lower east rift zone. The people, flora, and fauna that inhabit this area are changed forever.

On this page are a few pictures and the heartfelt words by the photographers that describe their encounter with Pele.

5.24.2018 – “My heart is sad to see the devastation in Leilani Estates. A big hug to everyone impacted by the new eruption on Kïlauea Volcano. So sorry for your many losses. I feel like crying. I am crying…I just felt two big earthquakes in the Volcano Golf Course, after leaving Leilani. It’s going on folks…it’s real. Just saw this scene an hour ago in Leilani. Be safe. Have hope. Keep the faith. Help each other. Live aloha!” photo and commentary courtesy of G. Brad Lewis

5.29.2018 – “End of a road in Leilani Estates. So much change going on. One thing about this eruption that I am noticing more than I have ever seen is the amount of methane gas burning in abundance in front of advancing lava flows. Very few explosions for the amount of gas. In this scene, I capture Carsten Peter checking out the glowing cracks in the road.” photo and commentary courtesy of G. Brad Lewis

5.24.2018 – “There are shared sentiments that we will meet our creator when we lay this life down to rest one day. Today was special, I feel like we got to say “hello” today. It really surprised me. It was very humbling to watch a 40ft-fountaining cone create new earth where Kahukai St. and Leilani Ave. used to intersect.” photo and prose courtesy of Andrew Richard Hara

6.5.2018 – “Shared a moment with this wild duck as Kapoho Kai slowly disappeared. Throughout this eruption I have been amazed at the connection with various animals and how they seem to let their guard down and allow me to get very close as if they know this is the last time they will stand on that ground. This duck looked deep into my eye with a look of sorrow. He was free to roam but was staying as close as possible and only moving slowly as the lava advanced. I could tell he was longing to be home and slowly evacuating, unwantingly, but forcefully as Pele slowly had her way. We will all feel the loss in our hearts for ever, and like this duck, I regretfully pulled back knowing that as I turned my back it would be the last time—a reminder NOTHING is permanent. Nothing. A reminder to seize the day every single moment. It almost hurts me to think that I may have taken this place for granted, this life, this family, this view that I see through my eyes. One thing I have learned from this is to celebrate all the things in your life every day even the simplest thing. It could all be gone tomorrow. Please make sure that everything you do, everybody you see and everything you touch, you do so with a positive intention as you never know if it will be your last and final moment. Make it a special one to remember, because sometimes all we will ever be left with are our memories…make them good ones. Live every moment as if it were your last!” photo and prose courtesy of Demian Barrios

Note: The duck flew into a nearby bush after this photo was taken and was later seen alive. The lava moves very slowly giving able bodied animals such as this more than enough time to get out of harms way.

5.27.2018 – “She sways in the wind alone under a threatening sky. Her roots run deep yet her thirst is not quenched for the ground is hot. All things assured but her future is not. Her comrades taken. Her children abandoned. Her home disintegrating around her. Nowhere to go, but to stand the test of time. In the distance, the moon illuminates the sky with a color of the opposite spectrum: A deep blue of hope. Let there be rain she thinks to herself, but rain cannot bring her drought to an end. A change of era is upon her. She stands. Waiting. Listening. Feeling alone. Trapped and captured yet longing for a space to descend…a new beginning will come from this end. As the fissure erupts behind her, seeming small, it is not. 150 foot fountain of lava and the rampart around it continually rising to kiss the sky. Crucial harsh reality, clashing duality. The who, the what, the when, the why, is irrelevant. The only pertinence, is presence. And here she is. This lone palm, future unknown, a story untold. Ashes smoke and no mirrors. Final moments of self reflection arise…we rise and we fall…let inner core values and dignity lead the way, for truth in self is loss of doubt…stand strong for long…like a palm in the wind.” photo and prose courtesy of Demian Barrios

5.22.2018 – “A string of fissures from Fissure 15 and 19 open up on the southeastern side of PGV, burning a State of Hawaiÿi warehouse next to Pohoiki Road. Slow moving pahoehoe begins to approach PGV land at a crawl.” photo and commentary courtesy of Andrew Richard Hara