Many families in the Hawaiian village of Pahoa have been displaced from their homes by the lava from the Kilauea Volcano. On top of people losing their homes, crime is increasing rapidly in the town of Pahoa because so many people are looting the abandoned homes.

The flow of the lava is currently moving north east towards private residential property says the County of Hawaii’s Civil Defense Force. Authorities have now suggested residents in the path of the lava evacuate their homes as soon as possible. The Kilauea Volcano erupted on June 27 but came to a halt in late Sept. and then resumed back on its path of destruction several weeks ago. The flow of lava has slowed down in the past couple of days and is now averaging five meters per hour.

Construction workers have been scrambling to build temporary access roads to protect the major traveled route, Highway 130. “Lava from the volcano usually headed south into the ocean, but this time it is moving north east towards the town,” Janet Babb, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Geologist said. The last home destroyed by lava was the Royal Gardens Subdivision in Kalapana in 2012, according to Big Island Civil Defense.