As slow-moving lava approached a cemetery in a rural Hawaii town, Aiko Sato placed flowers at the headstone of the family plot she’s tended to over the years, thinking it would be the last time she would see it, reports AP.“I made peace with myself,” Sato said of visiting the Pahoa Japanese Cemetery on Oct. 23. A few days later, lava smothered part of the cemetery and the family believed the headstone had been buried.But a photo taken Oct. 28 by a scientist documenting the lava’s progress showed the headstone engraved with the Sato name standing in a sea of black lava.“I feel like it’s a miracle,” said Sato, 63. “I know subsequent breakouts could cover the grave, but at least I know it survived, like, a first round.”The lava’s flow stalled over the weekend about 480 feet from Pahoa Village Road, which goes through downtown. A breakout of the flow remained about 100 yards from a house. The lava flow is threatening homes and farmland in the Puna region - the same area that was devastated by Hurricane Iselle in August. Hawaii County Civil Defense, informed news agencies the flow was also less than half a mile from Highway 130. Scientists are continuing to monitor several breakouts along the upslope margins of the flow.As the slow moving lava has maintained its creep towards the town of Pahoa, residents have begun packing up belongings and preparing for the worst. Jared Gonzalez, a sophomore in marketing from Mexico, said, “I would just take my family and pack up my stuff. I would kneel down and pray that the lava would spare our home, but that’s all you can really do.”According to the Honolulu Star Advertiser, resident and non-residents alike have been trespassing through county property to access the lava flow. Two have been arrested and county officials urge the public to stay away and not endanger themselves or others. Gabriell Sabalones, a senior in ICS from Indiana, said, “I wouldn’t do anything that would negatively affect myself or anyone else.”There could be a direct hit on a local school in Pahoa and students are doing what they can to save it. The Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science students have taken to social media to protect their school, according to Hawaii News Now. The students have an online campaign to raise money for another building on campus, but as the lava became a threat, the students decided to put the money into saving the school.According to Hawaii News Now, Stella Javier, 15-year-old sophomore, said the goal is to reach out to people and raise awareness of how great her school is. “We want to show our accomplishments and how important it is to us and that in the course of this lava coming, we care about it a lot.”The lava has not advanced in three days, but residents remain prepared for the worst.
Writer: Reid Crickmore ~ Multimedia Journalist
