Escalon couple bought a dream home in Hawaii. Then a volcano erupted and the lava came
This week, a river of lava spewing from the
"We lost our home on Monday,"
The Morgans say they've been told their home insurance doesn't cover their losses, but they will continue to look into that and see if they qualify for
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Even though the Morgans have lost their retirement, they're returning to the
"We really want to go back and give back a little of that kindness," Gene said.
"Nobody expected it to ever happen again," Gene said.
Authorities estimated Tuesday night that lava had consumed 71 homes on the
The Morgans for the past three weeks have been closely monitoring the volcano's devastation online. They've been glued to computer screens, watching video, photos and maps of the destruction on their Hawaiian neighbors' Facebook pages and web sites, including the
"We've seen it all happen as if we were there," Kathy said.
Six years ago, the Morgans used their savings for a 20 percent down payment on an 1,100 square-foot house that was then valued at
The Morgans previously lived in Oakdale. The sale of that home funded the purchase of their current house in Escalon and the Hawaiian home improvements. They planned to live in Escalon until they were ready to permanently move to
Gene retired three years ago from
The last time the Morgans saw their Hawaiian home was five weeks in March and April. It was about two weeks before the erupting
The volcano later created more than 20 fissures that spewed volcanic magma, creating rivers of lava that plowed through the Hawaiian landscape and burned down homes. Neighbors were ordered to evacuate.
The Morgans said a few of their friends volunteered to go to their house and try save whatever they could. They had about 15 minutes to grab some artwork and other precious items they could fit in their vehicles.
"It sounded like there was a freight train coming down the street," Kathy was told. "They could hear the lava coming."
The friends also were able to drive out a Honda CR-V and a Chevrolet Venture belonging to the Morgans. The couple's GMC Suburban wouldn't start and was left behind.
The slowing-moving lava that was approaching the Morgans' home that day never reached the house. It was lava from fissure 7 that destroyed the Morgans' home over the
Kathy said the fissure created a lava lake encased by 50-foot rock walls. She said the lava lake on Sunday spilled over its walls and washed down
The smoldering lava devoured their house, Kathy said. There's nothing left.
"You can't even tell where it was," she said about the unrecognizable property.
They have some hope they can be frugal and save enough money to buy another house or build one on the
For now, the Morgans are on their way back to help the
"It pretty much heals the hurt that we have," Kathy said. "And we know that's what the Lord would have us do."
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