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Hawaii lava update: 100 feet from home, National Guard deployed

The main portion of the June 27 lava flow is now about 200 yards from the Pahoa Village Road.

By Gabrielle Levy
The June 27 flow remains active, and is slowly approaching Pāhoa Village Road on Hawaii's big island. This photo was taken just before 10 a.m. on Oct. 29, 2014, and shows the flow front moving through private property toward a low point on the road. At 11:30 a.m., the flow front was 215 m (235 yards) from Pāhoa Village Road. UPI/USGS
1 of 3 | The June 27 flow remains active, and is slowly approaching Pāhoa Village Road on Hawaii's big island. This photo was taken just before 10 a.m. on Oct. 29, 2014, and shows the flow front moving through private property toward a low point on the road. At 11:30 a.m., the flow front was 215 m (235 yards) from Pāhoa Village Road. UPI/USGS

PAHOA, Hawaii, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- The Hawaii National Guard will deploy 80 soldiers and airmen Thursday morning to help maintain calm as the threat of the Kilauea lava flow to Pahoa homes becomes imminent.

Members of the National Guard will help manage roadblocks and traffic as the lava flow nears Pahoa Village Road on the big island, said Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira. They, along with county police, will also keep onlookers away from a neighborhood of 15 to 20 homes that are in the most immediate danger.

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The front edge of the June 27 lava flow -- named for the day it was first observed -- was about 202 yards from the road Thursday morning, moving at 5 to 10 yards per hour, and could cross over in 24 to 48 hours.

On Wednesday, a small finger of the flow headed in another direction, moving within 100 feet of a two-story rental home. Oliveira said the home had been evacuated, and while the lava came no closer, it is impossible to predict when -- or if -- the lava will move again.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi flew the entire 13-mile flow Wednesday in a county fire department chopper. Gabbard described the scene as "pretty ominous."

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"I know it's slowed down somewhat, but then you see the entire 13 miles marked by smoke and steam that's rising," she said. "And the relatively small fingers that are poking through are a little bit deceiving when you look at the width of the flow coming right behind it."

Gabbard, a National Guard captain, may be among the 80 guardsmen who deploy Thursday morning.

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