For the residents who lost homes and their way of life, the losses were searingly painful. For others stricken by a faltering Big Island economy, the volcano's fiery displays helped fuel the growing visitor industry.

"It's part of our life, it's part of our last 20 years," said former Mayor Stephen Yamashiro. "It's contributed in a lot of ways, it's caused a lot of devastation in other ways."

In the most devastating phase of the eruption, from April to June 1990, the volcano consumed at least 150 homes. The Kalapana Mauna Kea Congregational Church burned, and Harry K. Brown Park and its brackish ponds were destroyed. Kaimu Bay and its palm-lined black sand beach were filled with molten rock.

In the 20 years of the current eruption, the volcano has covered about 30,000 acres, transforming lush palm forests, homes, roads, gardens and surf spots into blackened lava deserts.

Visitors to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park got a close-up view of lava yesterday. More than 2 million people visited the park last year. Associated Press

Kim said officials stopped keeping accurate tallies of the total dollar value of the damage done by the volcano after about $60 million because the county had already obtained state and federal disaster designations.

"There was no point in counting," he said.

The 20-year eruption is the largest surge of lava on Kilauea's east rift zone in the past five centuries, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. It has claimed 189 structures, including churches, a post office, park facilities and homes.

The home of the Gapp family in Kalapana was among 189 structures consumed by flowing lava since the Kilauea eruption began in 1983. Advertiser Library Photo

The lava threatened the Royal Gardens subdivision southeast of Pu'u 'O'o, and destroyed 16 homes there in 1983 and 1984.

In July 1986, the eruption shifted to the Kupaianaha vent. Later that year, it reached the ocean, destroying homes in Kapa'ahu and Kalapana along the way. In the three years that followed, the flow into the sea became wider and destroyed more homes until it turned toward Kalapana in March 1990.

Most of Kalapana, Kalapana Gardens and all of Kaimu Bay were buried by October 1990 before the lava was diverted from the area.

The Kilauea eruption came at a time when the sugar industry was dying on the Big Island and tourism was taking on even greater importance. The volcano had the effect of spreading the wealth around to the east side of the island, giving visitors a reason to leave the resorts on the Kona Coast.

A chunk of Crater Rim Drive broke off and plunged into Kilauea caldera after a massive eruption-related earthquake in 1983. Advertiser Library Photo

At times, the volcano would draw as many as 50,000 people a month to Lower Puna, Helfrich said, which made an enormous difference in the economy of the small community.

"It's a different kind of tourist that comes here. They spend more money and they are much more interested in natural, real experiences," Helfrich said. "This is not Disneyland. It's hard to get to, and it is for real."

Flows from Pu'u 'O'o and the Kupaianaha vent also added more than 500 acres to Kilauea's south shore and created a new beach at the edge of the lava near what was once Kaimu Bay.