Good news: The volcano is erupting, and lava is flowing in your direction, but it’s flowing very slowly so you have time to gather your belongings and move to safety.
Bad news: The volcano is erupting, lava is flowing in your direction, and there’s no way to divert it. All you can do is watch it destroy your home or business.
The residents of Pahoa, Hawaii, on the Big Island, have been watching the lava creep steadily closer since June, and on Nov. 10, it claimed its first house. These are the same residents who are starting to recover from damage caused by Hurricane Iselle in August. Nahua Maunakea, director, global risk management for I.H.S. in Englewood, Colo., described the lava as “rolling fire.” The intense heat of the lava can cause combustion and fire before the lava reaches the building. “It’s slow, insidious, inevitable,” Maunakea said. “Even though you can prepare for the disaster, it’s traumatic.” During previous lava flows, he noted, some residents took extreme measures to protect their homes. They jacked their houses up on stilts, put them on trucks and moved them some distance away.
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Rosalie Donlon
Rosalie Donlon is the editor in chief of ALM's insurance and tax publications, including NU Property & Casualty magazine and NU PropertyCasualty360.com. You can contact her at [email protected].
