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Powerful
6.9 quake, numerous aftershocks hit Hawaii’s Big Island near
erupting volcano
RT,
5
May, 2018
A
powerful earthquake measuring magnitude 6.9 has struck just off the
Big Island of Hawaii as numerous smaller jolts, including a 5.4
tremor, shook the island in the past hours, amid ongoing volcanic
eruption.
The
US Geological Survey has upgraded the severity of the earthquake off
the Big Island in Hawaii to a 6.9 on the Richter scale, roughly an
hour after it was registered. According to the new USGS data, the
extremely powerful tremor was registered 16km southwest of Leilani
Estates, Hawaii, at a depth of 5.0 km.
The
quake struck on the south flank of Kilauea Volcano at 12:33 local
time and was followed by several aftershocks, according to the
National Weather Service, as eruptions at the volcano continue. No
Tsunami warning has been issued.
M 6.9 - 16km SW of Leilani Estates, Hawaii, 2018-05-04 22:32:55 UTC, 5.0 km depth. earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/ev… This is in almost exactly the same location at the deadly 1975 M 7.1 earthquake.
The
tremor was the most powerful of a series of earthquakes that have
been rocking the islands over the past days. No Tsunami warnings have
been issued after the quake.
The massive earthquake caused small sea level changes at some locations of the Big Island, which are now "diminishing," authorities said. A twenty centimeter (cm) amplitude was recorded in Hilo, with 40 cm in Kapoho and 15 cm in Honuapo, the County of Hawaii said in a statement.
The latest from Hawaii
County Civil Defense on the Kilauea eruption. Volcanic Eruption In
Lower Puna District Message For Friday May 4 At 12:30 PM
http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/active-alerts #kilauealava #HiLava2018
#kilauea #kilaueavolcano #lava
Following
the quake, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory confirmed further
volcanic eruption is ongoing in Leilani Subdivision, in the Puna
District.
“Active
volcanic vents are located on Makamae, Kaupili and Mohala Streets. A
new vent has opened near the intersection of Leilani Avenue and
Kahukai Road,” the Civil Defense of Hawaii County reported.
“All
residents of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens Subdivision are
ordered to evacuate immediately,” the alert issued by the
authorities announced, adding that Police, Fire and National Guard
are assisting with the evacuation, which originally started on
Thursday, when a lava outbreak began threatening residential areas.
Authorities
warn that people must leave the area immediately due to high levels
of Sulfur Dioxide gas, noting that those with “compromised
respiratory systems” are especially vulnerable. “The high levels
detected are an immediate threat to life for all who become exposed.
First responders may not be able to come to the aid of residents who
refuse to evacuate,” the alert stressed.
Residents
of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens Subdivisions are strictly
ordered to stay away from the area of the ongoing volcanic eruption.
“No one is allowed into the area. Do not attempt to return to your
home at this time,” authorities firmly stressed.
Follow @Hawaii_EMA and @CivilDefenseHI for #KilaueaVolcano updates. Stay tuned to local radio and TV for evacuation orders.
The #HI Fire Department warns high levels of sulfur dioxide gas in the affected areas are a serious threat to life. For more tips: ready.gov/volcanoes
GET
THE HELL OUT NOW! M6.9 Earthquake, Leilani Estates, Hawaii
ERUPTION
! ! ! HAWAII VOLCANO SENDS LAVA 100'S OF FEET IN THE AIR; RESIDENTS
FLEE
4 May, 2018
Residents
in Puna's Leilani Estates subdivision on the big island of
Hawaii fled
with little more than the clothes on their backs Thursday
night after an eruption in Kilauea's east rift zone created a fissure
in the community, spewing lava into the air as high as utility poles,
covering roads and nearing several homes.
The
eruption took place hours after The Hal Turner Radio Show published
Civil Defense Warnings saying people should leave.
Evacuation orders remain
in place for the community, home to about 1,700 people, and it's not
yet clear when residents will be able to return home.
Two
emergency shelters have
been opened for evacuees — one at Pahoa Community and the Keaau
Community centers — and a number of families had hunkered down at
the facilities for the night.
Meanwhile, fire officials
warn they've detected extremely high levels of dangerous sulfur
dioxide in Leilani Estates and are reiterating this message: Get out
of the community — if you haven't already — and stay out until
the threat has passed.
Hawaiian Volcano
Observatory said the eruption that started in late afternoon ended
about 6:30 p.m., after creating a fissure that sent lava soaring
as high as 125 feet into the air. About 10:30 p.m., geologists
confirmed the fissure (whose length was not immediately clear) was no
longer erupting — and no other fissures had been reported.
They stressed, however,
that new lava outbreaks remain a possibility.
"The opening phases
of fissure eruptions are dynamic and uncertain. It is not
possible at this time to say when and where new vents may occur,"
the observatory said, in its latest update. "Areas
downslope of an erupting fissure or vent are at risk of lava
inundation. At this time, the general area of the Leilani subdivision
appears at greatest risk."
Within hours of the
eruption Thursday, Gov. David Ige had activated the Hawaii National
Guard and issued an emergency disaster proclamation. FEMA is
also mobilizing resources.
In an interview with
Hawaii News Now, Ige urged evacuees to "stay calm" and
continue to stay tuned to emergency alerts.
Those residents fled
their homes Thursday evening with few belongings — just what
they could collect in the minutes they had to leave, as officers went
door-to-door to ensure everyone got out. One resident said he grabbed
his father's ashes as he ran out the door.
"My family is safe,
the rest of the stuff can be replaced," another resident said.
"When I bought here 14 years, I knew that this day would
eventually come. But the reality is sinking in now."
Some residents seemed
in disbelief at what they were seeing in their own backyards. In
social media posts, they documented lava sputtering up from cracks in
the roadway and then angrily boiling up higher and higher getting
higher and higher.
Resident Ikaika Marzo
said he could see fountains of lava in the community
topping 100 feet.
He was among the first
people in Leilani Estates to spot the active lava. And as soon as he
did, he started notifying anyone he could find.
"When we drove on
that road, we heard a noise in the forest and it was like a little
thump," he said. "Next thing, like three to five seconds
after that, we smelled sulfur. After that, that's when there was tons
of sulfur. Then we saw some lava popping out."
The lava outbreak was
first reported about 4:30 p.m., some six hours after a 5.0-magnitude
earthquake shook the Big Island Thursday morning. That quake
came after hundreds of small tremors rattled the island since
last week.
In the photo below, lava
is seen shooting up out of a road as nearby residents flee. At
times, the lava shot higher than the nearby telephone poles!
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