Clear Family

Ten years ago, four-year-old Kiara Clear and one-year-old Kelton moved with their parents from Indiana to The Big Island, Hawaii. They bought a sturdy house in the community called “HPP” outside the town of Keaau. Soon, sister Kaili was born, and the parents - James and Jenni Clear - looked for the perfect place to raise their family and build a future. 


It is widely agreed that real estate is often less risky than the volatile stock market, so James and Jenni invested in a 12 acre slice of Hawaii with a wide view of the ocean. James designed a home and diligently built it himself, achieving the goal of buying the materials for cash and never paying interest on a mortgage for this home.


The family planted their hopes beside scores of fruit trees, which just recently began yielding harvests. Lacking any public utilities, the Clears lived “off-grid” by installing an ambitious solar panel and battery system, as well as a refined rainwater catchment and filtration/purification set up.


The children tended the garden, plus dogs, cats, chickens and guinea pigs. James coached Kelton’s baseball team and built a fine practice field at home, complete with backstop and batting cage. After a scary hurricane, James built a stand-alone two-room concrete storm bunker.


The very first lava-flow evacuation orders in Hawaii this May brought down the curtain on all those dreams.  Given 15 minutes to be gone, they escaped with only their vehicles and a few trash bags stuffed with clothes, pictures and documents. For two weeks, officials repeatedly told them it was unsafe to go back for more. James had only a few brief opportunities to retrieve more documents and keepsakes, construction tools and vehicles. Now, folks can’t even enter or leave their once thriving commmunity because the only access roads have been covered with lava in both directions.


Here is a startling realization.  When a tornado or hurricane sweeps everything away, plucky farmers plant more seed and often rebuild a house on its old foundation.  Volcanoes are different. When the lava flows down your hill, the advancing fire burns everything you ever built, and then imagine the 20-foot wave of 2000-degree lava flowing over your entire 12 acres - piling 60 feet high where your home had been - and then cooling into an inaccessible moonscape of black rock.


Because insurance is so expensive in Hawaii, few of the residents even have fire insurance, and virtually nobody can afford lava insurance. The Clears do have fire insurance, but all of the companies are arguing that folks must prove that the fire took the home before the lava got to it.  Even if a claim is accepted, fire insurance only covers the structure and verifiable contents, not fruit trees and outdoor improvements, and not a cent for the water and solar systems, or the land that has now been rendered un-usable. It is a total, devastating loss.


The gymnasium where Kiara and Kaili had played volleyball is now a homeless shelter, and the baseball field where Kelton’s team always played is filled with families in tents.  Very fortunately, the Clear family still owns that other house, near Keaau.  They had been renting it to Jenni’s Mom and step-dad.  What a refuge that has become. It is clearly not as crowded as a community shelter or a tent, but imagine squeezing a family of five into a house with “the inlaws,” even if they are great ones. James has amazingly constructed extra living space already, because it looks like that arrangement will be long term. That new construction has already cost more than $25,000.


Many of you are friends of James and Jenni. You know them as givers, not takers. You can imagine how unhappy they would be if I set up a Go-Fund-Me account, inviting folks to contribute for their benefit. Well. That’s another good reason for me to do it. Ha (LOL).


James and Jenni are fighters and winners. They will surely weather this storm and come out stronger. They are, thankfully, not homeless.  In fact, at the precise time the lava entered their own property, the Clear family was serving food to other families at one of the shelters. They are still able to serve their community as chiropractors, and as the community recovers from this disaster, more clients will be able to return for care. The Clear children will not be suffering or lacking food.


So this is definitely not a plea for rescue resources. It is just for those of you who may be thinking, “I wish there was something I could do to help.”  If your love can be translated into a financial gift, here is an opportunity.   


Roger Domingo (the very proud Dad of James)