itÔs interesting to read what happened to the Kohala volcano, the massive landslide. ItÔs on the USGS site here:
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kohala/
Kohala last erupted some 120,000 years ago, and no one expects it to. Haleakala is far more likely to erupt, and is expected to erupt again. The only reason it would not is if the hot spot is really not connected any more.
Compare the 2-600 years since it erupted with 120,000 for Kohala.
Hualalai is overdue to erupt and threaten Kailua Kona or north to the airport. People ignore that, well, a lot of people, not everyone.
Mauna Loa is way overdue to erupt.
According to USGS, Mauna Kea is in its post shield-building phase, explained what that means here:
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanoes/maunakea/
It could erupt, but it is much less likely than Hualalai, Mauna Loa, Kilauea.
Kohala and Mauna Kea windward cannot be covered by lava again from Mauna Loa due to topography. ThatÔs clear from a topo map of the island.
There are certainly different ways to deal with risks.
Some people like to look at it as there is always some risk no matter what so avoidance is pointless.
IÔm of the school that if you give me a list of choices with risk from almost none to extremely high, IÔll factor that in and aim for lower risk. If I donÔt have enough money to go with almost no risk, IÔll probably compromise and take medium instead of the very cheap extreme risk.
At the same time, it would be an illusion to say I am getting safety. IÔll almost certainly make some other mistake that is potentially as bad or worse. But still, in the case of deliberate choices, IÔm somewhere in the middle with choosing risk, and I donÔt want fresh lava in my yard.