2018 Kauai Hanalei Valley Flood vs Puna Lava Flow

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

The flooded roads and farms on Kauai are repaired and accessible again.
Here in Puna we're still talking about reopening Highway 132 and Highway 137 one year after the lava flow. See the excellent discussion on another Punaweb thread at:
Why no access for those isolated by flow?

Several people have questioned my comparison between flood lands and lava zone one land. I'd like to post the link (below) as an addendum to the Kauai flood. It's a good article about the New Orleans area where much of the land is not land at all, but swamp or areas actually below sea level protected by dikes and berms. The government spends billions of dollars every year so people can live there. Scroll about 1/4 of the way through the article for a map of what is actually land. There's not much.

As far as I'm concerned, people who live in Puna on solid rock look like geniuses compared to those who knowingly, willingly live below sea level. In 2005 when the barriers in New Orleans were breached, over 1500 people died because they couldn't get out. How many died in Puna during the 2018 lava flow? Zero. Yet our government has determined parts of Puna are uninhabitable. Meanwhile, governments in flood prone areas encourage settlements and resettlement. If you pay federal income taxes, you provide other local governments with funds so their citizens can live in far more hazardous areas than the LERZ.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/...ring-coast

[kalakoa]

Yet our government has determined parts of Puna are uninhabitable.

Except they haven't issued a policy statement to that effect, thereby leaving the "uninhabitable" parts in limbo.

If you pay federal income taxes, you provide other local governments with funding so their citizens can live in far more hazardous areas than the LERZ.

Here, our Federal taxes are paying for studies and listening sessions to "determine the need".

Lately I'm worried about the next emergency. Do I live in the "right" area for recovery, or will I just get the listening sessions? I can't afford to have my livelihood destroyed by an agenda.

[Pilgrim]

Thanks HOTPE -That was a great read about the flooding in Louisiana with some interesting comparisons. Food for thought...

[Mangosteen]

The land on Kauai is still "there" and relatively stable and and relatively flat which means road building has been somewhat easy.

The lava affected land in Puna is gone, covered with up to 100 feet or more of hard rock. The volcano created miles of huge uneven hills. The area is unrecognizable even to long time residents. Familiar landmarks have disappeared to say nothing of roads that people used to drive on.

I don't see how the two disasters can be compared. Even the damage on Kauai from Iniki pales in comparison..

[Pilgrim]

Well that's just it.. the land in Puna is still "here" too. Sure the lava flows inflated it but the new roads can easily be built on the new land. The Feds and the County had no problem making a very expensive road across the 2013 lava flow. Nothing is gone - the only constant is change.

[Kelena]

Some washed out roads and gullies, bewildered bison and serious erosion vs twenty trillion cubic feet of lava that destroyed 700+ homes, fried scores of turtles, made uninhabitable miles of land, sent giant cracks through elegant homes, destroyed a marine sanctuary, rendered a cesspool controversy laughably moot, created a rocky, impassable trench 8 miles long, displaced thousands, turned an entire lake into steam, filled a unique and cherished pond with solid black rock, swallowed an entire geothermal swimming hole and its surrounding park, ate a school, put a counter-culture resort out of business, incinerated half a century old mango trees, turned a red road into a dead road, and buried entire several subdivisions, including a few million dollar homes under 50 feet of lava?

It is possible that we are comparing apples to satsumas.

[djs]

It is not comparable to look at the total destruction between the 2 events. What is comparable is the road rebuilding. We need 3 miles restored on 132, PGV showed us it's very easy to bulldoze through. Restoring 132 will get the bulk of the evacuees back to their land AND take the pressure off Government Beach RD. Kauai needed to restore 3 bridges, clear 14 landslides and repair the road. Our bulldozing needs pale in comparison to Kauai.

I am one of the evacuees who can't get home until 132 is opened all the way through 4 Corners. The PGV access does nothing for me. IF 132 gets opened by October, then we get to begin our recovery. With any luck we might get to move back home a year and a half after we evacuated.

Mayor Kim has said he can't stop people from wanting to live on their land, but he sure is doing a good job making it as painful as possible to go home.