From May 3–September 4, 2018, the 2018 Lower Puna Eruption occurred on the Big Island of Hawaii. This event drastically altered the island’s landscape, destroying 700 houses, triggering tens of thousands of earthquakes, and creating lava flows that damaged and/or blocked off 12 miles of roads.
PaleoWest staff traveled to Hawaii in June–July 2022 to conduct a cultural survey for FEMA and the County of Hawaii as part of FEMA’s ongoing disaster recovery efforts. The five-week survey was south of Hilo, Hawaii, in Kilauea’s Lower East Rift Zone, comprising 9.1 miles of county roads and 197 acres total. Our personnel are now drafting final reports and related documents; future recovery plans for the area include the repaving and realigning of several roads along with the installation of a new waterline.
PaleoWest is honored to have assisted FEMA on this project with lasting results for the citizens of Hawaii.