The Daily Herald has an article up looking at this situation, and how its forcing some people to sell their homes.

Wendy Ford is losing her policy this month because her insurer, Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co., no longer covers property located in Lava Zone 1, an area of the Big Island with the highest risk of inundation from Kilauea. The volcano has been erupting since Jan. 3, 1983.

Ford could turn to the Hawaii Property Insurance Association, a state-sponsored program created in 1992 for homes in high-risk lava zones, but it will cost her nearly four times as much to insure her home.

“To be perfectly honest, with all this going on, I’m actually thinking of selling,” Ford said.

Norrin Lau, a broker with Finance Insurance Ltd., said only two companies, HPIA and Lloyd’s of London, write new policies for the area, but Lloyd’s doesn’t insure against fire, the biggest threat posed by lava.

That leaves HPIA, “an insurer of last resort,” state Insurance Commissioner J.P. Schmidt said.

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Jillian and the final two bachelors – Ed Swiderski and Kiptyn Locke – find themselves on incredible final dates that take them across the Big Island highlighted by an aerial tour of Kilauea volcano’s active lava flows with Sunshine Helicopters, landing beside a secluded Hilo waterfall for a private barbecue with KapohoKine Adventures, and discovering a remote black sand beach with Captain Zodiac Rafting Adventures.

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Kilauea Volcano plumes (NASA)

Small clouds float overhead, casting their shadows on the land surface below. The relatively light cloud cover allows a clear view of the plume that rises from the Pu‘u ‘O‘o Crater and blows toward the northwest. Along the island’s coast, dual small plumes blow in the same direction. These plumes arise from searing lava reaching the ocean water. A close look at this image reveals a landscape scarred by repeated lava flows. Deep brown and charcoal-colored rock rivers flow to the sea from Kilauea vents. In a bulletin issued on May 25, 2009, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory warned of the hazards presented by Kilauea’s lava delta, including the possibility of rock collapses and rock falls that can occur with little or no warning. In addition, the steam plumes that arise from lava entering the ocean contain fine lava fragments and acid droplets. Between the lava flows, brushes of deep green vegetation appear along Hawaii’s southern coast. The ocean water appears pale blue-gray, with a rippled surface. This light ocean color is likely sunglint—the mirror-like reflection of sunlight off the ocean surface. Ranking among Hawaii’s most active volcanoes, Kilauea is a shield volcano with a low, broad shape resembling an ancient warrior shield. Kilauea overlaps its neighbor, Mauna Loa, another shield volcano to the west. (NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of the NASA EO-1 Team. Caption by Michon Scott.)

Source:  SatNews.com

The Kilauea volcano in Hawaii has been spouting fumes since 1983 but what has made it particularly bad this past year is the fact it’s been releasing two to four times more sulphur dioxide than before. And this is creating havoc in the numerous farms and nurseries that dot the district of Kau. When it comes in contact with sunlight and air, sulphur dioxide creates volcanic smog that is affecting vegetables and flowers like roses, sunflowers, lettuce and tomato grown for the market. Strangely, some native plants like ohia, mamane and koa have not been affected by the smog.

Source: Hindu.com

More than 60 native Hawaiian families who were chased from their homes by lava nearly two decades ago are still waiting to build homes on the Big Island property that was reserved for them.

The families from coastal Kalapana are facing a state-imposed deadline of Dec. 31, 2012, to build homes on 1-acre lots at Kikala-Keokea, three miles east of old Kalapana. But the land was just made ready for homes two years ago. Now, some of the families are worried that the economic recession will make building difficult in the few years remaining.

HILO » A slowly moving lava flow crept up to Gilbert Hauanio’s house on the coast south of Hilo in 1990 and destroyed it.

Now another slowly approaching danger is threatening to destroy Hauanio’s dream of a replacement home.

Like most of 67 native Hawaiian families formerly of coastal Kalapana and neighboring communities, Hauanio faces a deadline of Dec. 31, 2012, to build a new home at a replacement community on state land known as Kikala-Keokea.

With the deadline mandated by the Board of Land and Natural Resources a little less than four years away and the national economy in a scary condition, lessees at Kikala-Keokea like Hauanio are nervous.

“You’ve got to have a lot of money to build. It’s hard to get insurance. There is so much red tape you’ve got to go through,” said Hauanio, president of the tenants association.

As early as 1983, lava started destroying homes in Royal Gardens, west of Kalapana. During four months in 1990, nearly all of the remaining homes in the area were wiped out.

Native Hawaiians had a special claim to benefits because the “Kalapana Extension” of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in 1938 had removed some families from their land. All Hawaiian families, including those whose land was not taken by the park, were granted continuation of traditional fishing rights on shoreline land now inside the park.

In 1991, the state Legislature moved to protect those rights by authorizing a community of one-acre lots at Kikala-Keokea, three miles east of old Kalapana.

The 1991 law also mandated that the lessees would be free from all zoning and building requirements. In other words, they would be free from red tape. They got red tape anyway.

Part of the problem was that the community was envisioned to have gravel streets and rainwater catchment but lessees wanted paved streets and piped water. For years, there was no money for that.

The state and Office of Hawaiian Affairs eventually contributed $4.5 million for improvements, but lessees had to wait until 2007 for that.

“They didn’t even want us on the property,” said Maile Moulds-Carr, who has since become one of only three people who have built a house there.

In 19 years since lava destroyed Kalapana, people scattered and some gave up.

Jill Kahilihiwa said her husband David received a lease but is no longer interested. “I wanted to hold it for my daughter,” Kahilihiwa said, but her husband said it was too much trouble.

Hauanio, who has a house elsewhere on the island and works five days a week on Kauai, was going to do the same.

“We were going to leave it to our kids,” he said. But his son is building a house closer to Hilo. “He never wanted to bother,” Hauanio said.

The position of the state Land Department is that it does not believe an extension of leases is needed, despite hard economic times. However, changes could be made by the Land Board if there are “compelling reasons,” the department said.

Rep. Faye Hanohano, who represents the area, said, “I know they cannot build (homes) by 2012 because nobody is making any money.”

Sen. Russell Kokubun, also representing the area, said, “I think the Land Board will have sensitivity given the economic situation.”

HILO » A slowly moving lava flow crept up to Gilbert Hauanio’s house on the coast south of Hilo in 1990 and destroyed it.

Now another slowly approaching danger is threatening to destroy Hauanio’s dream of a replacement home.

Like most of 67 native Hawaiian families formerly of coastal Kalapana and neighboring communities, Hauanio faces a deadline of Dec. 31, 2012, to build a new home at a replacement community on state land known as Kikala-Keokea.

With the deadline mandated by the Board of Land and Natural Resources a little less than four years away and the national economy in a scary condition, lessees at Kikala-Keokea like Hauanio are nervous.

“You’ve got to have a lot of money to build. It’s hard to get insurance. There is so much red tape you’ve got to go through,” said Hauanio, president of the tenants association.

As early as 1983, lava started destroying homes in Royal Gardens, west of Kalapana. During four months in 1990, nearly all of the remaining homes in the area were wiped out.

Native Hawaiians had a special claim to benefits because the “Kalapana Extension” of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in 1938 had removed some families from their land. All Hawaiian families, including those whose land was not taken by the park, were granted continuation of traditional fishing rights on shoreline land now inside the park.

In 1991, the state Legislature moved to protect those rights by authorizing a community of one-acre lots at Kikala-Keokea, three miles east of old Kalapana.

The 1991 law also mandated that the lessees would be free from all zoning and building requirements. In other words, they would be free from red tape. They got red tape anyway.

Part of the problem was that the community was envisioned to have gravel streets and rainwater catchment but lessees wanted paved streets and piped water. For years, there was no money for that.

The state and Office of Hawaiian Affairs eventually contributed $4.5 million for improvements, but lessees had to wait until 2007 for that.

“They didn’t even want us on the property,” said Maile Moulds-Carr, who has since become one of only three people who have built a house there.

In 19 years since lava destroyed Kalapana, people scattered and some gave up.

Jill Kahilihiwa said her husband David received a lease but is no longer interested. “I wanted to hold it for my daughter,” Kahilihiwa said, but her husband said it was too much trouble.

Hauanio, who has a house elsewhere on the island and works five days a week on Kauai, was going to do the same.

“We were going to leave it to our kids,” he said. But his son is building a house closer to Hilo. “He never wanted to bother,” Hauanio said.

The position of the state Land Department is that it does not believe an extension of leases is needed, despite hard economic times. However, changes could be made by the Land Board if there are “compelling reasons,” the department said.

Rep. Faye Hanohano, who represents the area, said, “I know they cannot build (homes) by 2012 because nobody is making any money.”

Sen. Russell Kokubun, also representing the area, said, “I think the Land Board will have sensitivity given the economic situation.”

Source: Star Bulletin

Photo: NPS | Michael Larson

Pacific Businesses News Reports:

Fewer people are visiting Hawaii’s national parks, as fewer visitors come to the Islands.

Hawaii’s national parks saw 10.5 percent fewer visitors in January, down from 409,558 in 2008 to 366,376, according to monthly data from the National Park Service.

The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii’s top tourist attraction, experienced a 12.2 percent decline in visitors in January, from 112,951 visitors in 2008 to 99,126.

At Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, there were nearly 17.3 percent fewer visitors in January, 125,819 visitors in 2008 compared with 104,070 visitors this year.

Visitor counts at Puuhonua o Honaunau (Big Island) and Kalaupapa (Molokai) were flat at 39,290 and 5,404, respectively.

Visitor counts for January were up 81.4 percent to from 10,179 in 2008 to 18,469 at Kaloko Honokohau (Big Island).

Haleakala National Park on Maui saw a 13.5 percent decrease in visitors in January, down from 104,019 visitors in 2008 to 89,951 this year, and visitor counts at Puukohola Heiau (Big Island) were down 15.4 percent from 11,896 a year ago to 10,066 visitors in January.