USA: Spewing lava surrounds the home of the last remaining Royal Gardens resident, forcing him to evacuate

Record ID: 862200

  • Title: USA: Spewing lava surrounds the home of the last remaining Royal Gardens resident, forcing him to evacuate
  • Date: 4th March 2012
  • Summary: THE ISLAND OF HAWAI'I, HAWAII, UNITED STATES (MARCH 2, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MOLTEN LAVA ON ROADWAY SMOKE RISING FROM GRASS COVERED BY LAVA RESIDENT JACK THOMPSON WALKING OUT OF HIS HOUSE WITH BAGS (SOUNDBITE) (English) RESIDENT JACK THOMPSON SAYING: "I am leaving almost everything because I figured a long time ago it was already donated to the mountain. Whatever happens, I'm just taking odds and ends." THOMPSON PLACING HIS BAGS IN THE HELICOPTER BILLOWING SMOKE (SOUNDBITE) (English) RESIDENT JACK THOMPSON SAYING: "A little bit of regret. A little bit of sorrow. A little bit of relief. I've been packing in here for years, maybe I won't have to do that anymore. I'll do something else." LAVA ON THE ROAD WAY THOMPSON WALKING WITH BAGS IN HIS HAND
  • Embargoed: 19th March 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa, Usa
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Disasters,Environment
  • Reuters ID: LVA992NHY5DUTKV4W9RVC8MPY0OE
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Nearly 200 residents once lived in Royal Gardens on the southeastern side of the Big Island of Hawaii. Now, it's only Jack.
    As the volcano spewed molten lava around the area near his home on Friday (March 2), Jack Thompson was forced to evacuate.
    This scene was all too familiar to him. In 1983, soon after he built his home on the island, a huge flow of lava threatened it but, fortunately, stopped right behind it, sparing the house.
    Even though he has been through this many times before, Thompson felt this time, he might not be as lucky.
    "I am leaving almost everything because I figured a long time ago it was already donated to the mountain. Whatever happens, I'm just taking odds and ends," he said.
    He has burned brush near his road to prevent the fire from getting too close.
    Thompson grabbed plastic bags filled with his belongings and walked along the roadway, partially covered with volcanic matter.
    Large expanses of land have been buried by the lava over the past 26 years.
    Since access to cars was cut off years ago, Thompson has operated his home as a place where helicopter tours would drop passengers off for a drink between the lava flows -- a bit of a novelty in the midst of pending disaster. But now that his home is one of only two structures still standing in the area, the situation is a more nerve-wracking.
    "A little bit of regret. A little bit of sorrow. A little bit of relief. I've been packing in here for years, maybe I won't have to do that anymore. I'll do something else," Thompson said.
    No word on if the house was able to survive the lava flow overnight.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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