By: Dan Nakaso
May 3, 2020
Star Advisor
Lava began shooting out of the ground amid the homes in Leilani Estates two years ago today, then slowed and suddenly stopped four months later, leaving both a financial and emotional toll that may never be known.
“We’re profoundly changed,” said state Sen. Russell Ruderman (D, Puna), who owns the Island Naturals Market & Deli in Pahoa.
“There has been a massive case of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) as a result of this that still has largely been unrecognized and mostly untreated,” Ruderman said. “Most of us have not been made emotionally whole. You can see it and it’s a serious issue.”