Lava from Hawaii volcano nears homes

Hawaii residents in the path of a lava flow were preparing to evacuate in the coming hours or days as the 2,000-degree Fahrenheit molten rock nears their homes, officials said Monday.

Residents in the house nearest the flow's front, about 100 yards away,had already packed up and left by late morning.

As it reached steeper terrain, the latest flow from the Kilauea volcano had accelerated slightly and was traveling about 20 yards per hour toward the town of Pahoa, in a rural region of the Big Island of Hawaii, the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said at a news briefing. The flow's speed had been 10 to 15 yards per hour.

As of noon Hawaii time (6 p.m. ET), the 110-yard-wide flow had traveled 220 yards in the past 24 hours, a USGS official said.

Between 40 and 50 homes or businesses are in the potential evacuation zone, though not all are directly in the current path of the lava, officials said. The flow burned through local cemetery grounds over the weekend.

Smoke from burning vegetation could chase some away.

Residents in the lava's path were advised of a possible need to evacuate, perhaps by Tuesday, according to the Hawaii County's website. No mandatory evacuations have been ordered, but most residents have left or made preparations to leave.

Emergency teams going door to door reported that 95% of residents said they had somewhere to go, while only a few indicated they might need to head to an emergency shelter in a church.

The couple in the threatened home continued to retrieve exotic plants as they watched the glowing, smoking finger of lava creep toward them Monday, Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira told reporters during a teleconference. At the current rate, the flow will reach the home, which is off Pahoa Valley Road, near the cemetery, by Monday night.

"They are disappointed but accepting," Oliveira said. "They're accepting that nature is doing it's thing."

The next property in danger — a small flower farm — is 75 to 100 yards downslope. It has a large home, a barn and other structures used for growing anthuriums. For the past two days, the owner has been moving equipment and belongings either off site or to areas of his property not in the lava's path, Oliveira said.

Officials worry that if the lava crosses Highway 130, a short distance from Pahoa Valley Road, Puna will be cut from the rest of the Big Island.

The current flow from Kilauea, which has been erupting continuously since 1983, began June 27.

Most of the lava has flowed south and poured into the ocean, but for the past two years, the lava has flowed northeast toward Pahoa, according to the Associated Press.

On Friday, Gov. Neil Abercrombie requested a presidential disaster declaration that would free up federal funds in the country's response efforts, reports West Hawaii Today.

"The effect of the destruction and/or isolation of the businesses and other institutions in Pahoa will be devastating to the entire Puna District," the governor wrote in his request, according to West Hawaii Today.

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