Hawaii
volcano’s advancing river of lava prompts evacuation concerns
27 October, 2014
October
2014 – HAWAII – Dozens
of residents in a rural area of Hawaii were placed on alert as
flowing lava from an erupting volcano continued to advance.
Authorities on Sunday said lava flow on the Big Island of Hawaii had
advanced about 250 yards since Saturday morning and was moving at the
rate of about 10 to 15 yards an hour, consistent with its advancement
in recent days. The flow front passed through a predominantly
Buddhist cemetery, covering grave sites in the mostly rural region of
Puna, and was roughly a half-mile from Pahoa Village Road, the main
street of Pahoa. Darryl Oliveira, director of civil defense for
Hawaii County, told reporters during a late Sunday morning
teleconference that the nearest home was at least 300 yards from the
flow front. He planned to get better coordinates during a flight
later in the day. Residents in the nearest home said they could see
the flow front from their balcony and were prepared to evacuate when
the time came, Oliveira said. Residents in the flow path have been
told to complete all necessary preparations by Tuesday for a possible
evacuation. The timeline could change, based on the flow rate.
Oliveira estimated there were at least 50 to 60 structures, including
homes and businesses, in the area most likely to be impacted.
Authorities
went door-to-door, notifying residents Saturday of the need to be
ready to evacuate. The vast majority of residents contacted had
identified places where they could go, with “less than a handful”
saying they may need to go to a shelter, he said. As the lava moved
through the cemetery, Oliveira said a monument was visible,
protruding through the molten mass. Kilauea volcano has been erupting
continuously since 1983. Most lava from this eruption has flowed
south. But the lava has flowed to the northeast over the past two
years. The current flow that has been threatening Pahoa began in
June. It’s been moving toward town in fits and starts for weeks,
speeding up and then slowing down. Janet Babb, a geologist and
spokeswoman for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said methane
explosions also have been going off. She said decomposing vegetation
produces methane gas that can travel subsurface beyond the lava front
in different directions, accumulating in pockets that can ignite. She
said it was a bit unnerving to hear all the blasts on Saturday. One
passed near where she and others were standing. “At the time that
it happened, it was such a rumble I thought it was thunder and that
we were about to be struck by lightning,” she said. –SF
Gate
25
October, 2014
October
2014 – HONOLULU - A
growing lava stream threatening homes and inching closer to a rural
road on Hawaii’s Big Island oozed forward in fits and starts this
week, frustrating some residents but giving officials a window of
time to prepare. The narrow, leading edge of the lava flow is now
just 250 yards from the one-lane country road, which has been closed.
Crews are working on an alternate route for remote communities in the
Puna district in case the lava crosses a major thoroughfare. The lava
sped up over the past few days, advancing nearly 460 yards from
Thursday morning to Friday, but it slowed again Friday morning,
officials said. The flow’s fitful nature is taking a toll on some
Big Island residents, who got a brief reprieve from the advancing
molten stream only to have to raise their guard again. “This
stop-and-go – it’s going to be very frustrating for our
residents,” said Darryl Oliveira, director of Hawaii County Civil
Defense. “It raises the anxiety level. It raises the concern.” On
the other hand, the sporadic suspensions in activity gave emergency
crews time to build another road and deal with a recent tropical
storm that swept by the island, Oliveira said. Crews near the leading
edge have been wrapping power poles with concrete rings as a layer of
protection from the lava’s heat.
The
recent acceleration came when the lava reached a gully, allowing it
to move more efficiently like rain in a gutter, Oliveira said. “It’s
already starting to widen out at the bottom, which might mean that it
will slow down again,” he said. No evacuations have been ordered,
and the residents of a home that is nearest to the flow already have
left voluntarily. Hawaii County Civil Defense crews are planning to
go door-to-door Saturday to about a dozen homes to find out how many
people might need shelter if the eruption continues, and to find any
obstacles like abandoned cars or hazards t hat could be in the lava’s
path. Oliveira said he would give residents three to five days’
notice before an evacuation order, and he stressed that the community
is not yet at that point. Some long-term locals are used to the
uncertainties of living near one of the world’s most active
volcanoes. “Because of what they’ve experienced over the course
of their lifetimes, they were very accepting … that this is
nature’s thing,” Oliveira said. “But on the other hand, we have
people who are new to the island who don’t really understand how
it’s playing out and what to expect and having a harder time
preparing.” –HP
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