UNPRECEDENTED IN SIZE AND
IMPACT. THE LANDSCAPE HAS
CHANGED AND LIVES HAVE BEEN
DRAMATICALLY ALTERED.
ONE YEAR LATER... KHON2 IS
TAKING A LOOK AT THE LINGERING
IMPACT.
TODAY WE FOCUS ON RESIDENTS FROM
KAPOHO AND THE ISSUES THE KAPOHO
VACATIONLAND
NEIGHBORHOOD FACES TILL THIS
DAY.
SARA MATTTISON HAS MORE ON
KILAUEA: AFTER THE FLOW.
SARA MATTISON: SO MANY HAVE LOST
THEIR HOMES AND THEIR
LIVELIHOODS BUT OTHERS FACE AN
ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE THEIR HOMES
MAY HAVE SURVIVED THE FLOW BUT
THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THEM
AND MAY NEVER HAVE IT AGAIN
NATS OF LAVA FLOWING
THE MAJESTIC LAVA STRETCHED
ACROSS LOWER PUNA.
MORE THAN 8-THOUSAND ACRES
COVERED.
NATS OF LAVA FLOWING
BUT NOT EVERYTHING WAS
DESTROYED...SEVERAL KIPUKA OR
POCKETS OF LAND REMAIN
SURROUNDED BY COOLED LAVA.
IN THESE KIPUKA...HOMES HAVE
SURVIVED.
NOW THE QUESTION BECOMES HOW TO
ACCESS THEM.
ERIC COCKCROFT: I STILL HAVE ONE
OF MY BUILDINGS THERE AND I HIKE
IN
ERIC COCKCROFT: IT'S REALLY A
LOT OF ANXIETY THINKING ABOUT IT
BEING THERE WITH NO BODY THERE
TO KEEP AN EYE ON IT AND WHETHER
PEOPLE WILL MOVE IN OR MIGHT GET
BURNED DOWN THERE'S REALLY NO
WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF IT ERIC
COCKCROFT'S HOME IN KAPOHO
VACATIONLAND SITS UNCOMFORTABLY
CLOSE TO THE EDGE OF THE FLOW.
IT TAKES HIM HALF AN HOUR TO
ROCKS. THAT'S WHY HE AND OTHERS
ARE PLEADING WITH MAYOR HARRY
KIM
ERIC COCKCROFT: SO AFTER I
PRESSED HIM ON THAT HE ASSURED
US THAT IMMEDIATELY ON
COMPLETION OF THE HIGHWAY THRU
132 TO THE OLD FOUR CORNERS THAT
HE WOULD BEGIN LOOKING OR EVEN
INSTALLING A TEMPORARY ACCESS
GOT A CHANCE TO EXPLAIN WHERE WE
ARE AND WHERE WE ARE GOING
MAYOR HARRY KIM: THERE ARE
PEOPLE THAT REALLY WANT TO GO
BACK AND THEY WANT TO GO BACK AS
SOON AS THEY CAN
IKAIKA MARZO: I THINK OUR
COMMUNITY NEEDS THAT ASSURANCE
IKAIKA MARZO IS ONE OF THE
LEADERS WHO STARTED PUUHONUA O
PUNA...A HUB WHERE AFFECTED
FAMILIES COULD FIND DONATED
FOOD, SUPPLIES, AND MOST OF ALL
SUPPORT.
MARZO SAYS HE SEES THE
IKAIKA MARZO: PEOPLE ARE
SPENDING SO MUCH MONEY FLYING
HELICOPTERS FOR WEEK STAYING
THERE FLYING OUT SO ACCESS IS
NUMBER
ONE THING
THAT'S WHAT SMILEY BURROWS HAD
TO DO TO GET TO HER PROPERTY
NEXT TO GREEN MOUNTAIN ALSO
KNOWN AS KAPOHO CRATER.
THE LAKE CRATER ALONG WITH HER
AND HER CHILDREN'S DREAM HOMES
ARE GONE.
AND THE LIVELIHOOD SHE MADE ON
THAT MOUNTAIN STOPPED
INDEFINITELY.
SMILEY BURROWS: THE ASPECT OF
NOT BEING ABLE TO DO MY MARKET
EVERY WEEK WAS SAD I MISS IT I
MISSED MY FRIENDS AND MY
NEIGHBORS THAT SUPPORTED US AND
VISIT
BUT WHAT WAS LOST HAS NOW BEEN
FOUND THROUGH A DIFFERENT
CHANNEL.
BURROWS IS PART OF A COALITION
CALLED I MUA LOWER PUNA...A
GROUP WORKING WITH THE
GOVERNMENT TO GET PEOPLE BACK
HOME.
SMILEY BURROWS: SO WE'VE BEEN
VERY CLEAR ON WHAT THOSE
PRIORITIES ARE AND BRINGING
SUCCESS AND RECOVERY BACK TO
PUNA
BURROWS SAYS THE COUNTY'S
EFFORTS HAVE BEEN SLOWER THAN
EXPECTED.
THEIR SPIRITS; HOWEVER, ARE
STILL ON FIRE.
SMILEY BURROWS: AS I LISTENED TO
THE COMMUNITY I FOUND THAT MANY
OF THESE PEOPLE DID NOT HAVE THE
MEANS TO RELOCATE AND
REBUILD ALL THEY HAVE IS THE
LAND THAT THEY OWNED SO THEY
WANT TO GO BACK HOME
ERIC COCKCROFT: I KNEW EXACTLY
WHAT I WAS GETTING MYSELF INTO
HAD A WONDERFUL HOUSE MY
CHILDREN WERE BORN THERE AND
IT'S
STILL THERE FOR ME SO MY HOME IS
STILL THERE AND IT'S JUST A
MAYOR HARRY KIM: I DON'T BLAME
ANYBODY FOR BEING IMPATIENT
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF
PEOPLE THAT FELT LIKE I DID
THEIR PRECIOUS PLACE ON EARTH
WAS TAKEN AWAY AND THEY WANT TO
GO BACK
WE HEAR MUCH MORE FROM RESIDENTS
AND SHARE THEIR STORIES ON THE
CHANGES IN LOWER PUNA OVER THE
WE TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT LIFE IS
LIKE IN A KIPUKA OR ISOLATED
LAND SURROUNDED BY THE ERUPTION.
REPORTING FROM THE BIG ISLAND,
SARA MATTISON KHON2 NEWS.
JOE:
STILL AHEAD... DETAILS ON THE
NEWEST MAINLAND STORE THAT'S