I imagine property values in this area by Hawaiian standards is more affordable. Some are willing to take the chance that their property and themselves could be gone in a heartbeat. The State should have some culpability for zoning the area for Homes.
I can't work up a lot of sympathy for them.
More affordable by Hawaiian standards is eyepopping in flyover country. I checked out the property values and was still stunned by what places in Leilani Estates were going for. And the property taxes are very low. The state is now caring for hundreds, possibly thousands of people worst case scenario, and their property taxes won’t have paid for this. I’ve seen estimates of up to 50,000 people living in the east rift zone. Where is the state planning to relocate these people if the need arises? I’ll bet HI doesn’t have much low-income housing and that what they do have is full up with a waiting list.
The Feds might want to have some choice words with HI’s bureaucrats. I don’t think their state government has a plan to deal with this.