Threat Level Raised as Lava Approaches Hawaii Homes

[Buster's Uncle]

Threat Level Raised as Lava Approaches Hawaii Homes
Good Morning America
1 hour ago






Rural Hawaii residents are keeping a nervous eye on a lava flow that may reach their community within a week.

The lava from Kilauea volcano is less than a mile away from the Kaohe Homesteads subdivision in Puna on the state’s Big Island, authorities said, with the threat level raised from a watch to a warning.

As the lava flow crept closer to residential areas Thursday, Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi declared a state of emergency.

Video released by the United States Geological Survey Thursday showed the lava spreading through a forest, creating thick plumes of smoke.

Authorities said it’s difficult to predict a lava flow’s path because of changes in topography and lava volume, as well as where and how lava enters or exits ground cracks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


https://gma.yahoo.com/threat-level-raised-lava-approaches-hawaii-homes-104624741--abc-news-topstories.html

[Buster's Uncle]

Kilauea Lava Creeps Toward Hawaiian Neighborhood
LiveScience.com
By Becky Oskin, Senior Writer  38 minutes ago



Lava from Kilauea volcano is five to seven days away from the Kaohe Homesteads neighborhood.



A partial evacuation is already underway in Hawaii's Kaohe Homesteads neighborhood, where slow-moving lava from Kilauea volcano is about a week away from the cluster of homes and ranches.

Residents have not been asked to leave, but people are moving animals out of the area, according to news reports. The lava is creeping through a forest reserve, and smoke from the burning trees and brush can create harmful levels of pollution depending on wind direction.

The Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO) is closely monitoring the June 27th flow, named for the day it spewed from a vent in Pu'O O'O crater. The lava has advanced 8.3 miles (13.4 kilometers) since June 27, the HVO said.

Pu'O O'O crater is part of Kilauea's East Rift Zone. Vents and fissures in the rift zone have been oozing lava non-stop since Jan. 3, 1983. The long-lasting eruption has destroyed more than 200 structures, including the Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park visitor center, the Royal Gardens subdivision and many homes and buildings in the town of Kalapana.

For the last few years, lava from Pu'O O'O crater mostly streamed south toward the ocean. But the June 27th flow erupted from a vent on the northeast flank of the crater. (Lava flows also traveled northeast of Pu'O O'O crater between 1983 and 1986.)

The new lava headed northeast into rough ground rumpled by deep cracks and depressions, and then disappeared underground for a few weeks into one of these cracks. On Sept. 2, lava welled up out of the crack and surfaced again, less than a mile (1.3 km) from the closest homes in Kaohe Homesteads.

Civil defense officials have held four meetings with community members to discuss possible threats from the oncoming lava flow. Access to neighborhood roads has been restricted to residents, and a state of emergency was declared for the county.


http://news.yahoo.com/kilauea-lava-creeps-toward-hawaiian-neighborhood-202107975.html

[Buster's Uncle]

A look at Hawaii volcano sending lava toward homes
Associated Press
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and MARK THIESSEN  54 minutes ago



Scientists and public officials are warning some residents of Hawaii's Big Island that lava from the Kilauea volcano could approach their homes. (Sept. 5)



HONOLULU (AP) — Lava from one of the world's most active volcanos is creeping slowly but steadily through cracks in the earth toward a rural subdivision on Hawaii's Big Island. Scientists warn that if the lava flow from Kilauea continues on its path, it could reach a small patch of homes in about a week.


THE LATEST

Lava could reach the Kaohe Homesteads, a sparsely populated subdivision, in four to six days after new vents on the volcano's northeast flank were spotted June 27. Lava has been flowing underground, filling cracks and then reappearing above ground farther down the flank.

The lava has flowed about 8.2 miles from the vent, coming within a mile of the eastern edge of the Wao Kele o Puna Forest Reserve. Officials have estimated that with the lava moving about 820 feet a day, it could reach homes sometime next week.

On Friday, Hawaii County Civil Defense officials took a helicopter flight over the area and said the lava was moving very slowly with very little vegetation burning. They said the flow had advanced only about 360 feet since the previous day.

While the agency has yet to issue an evacuation order, some people are trying to move livestock out of the subdivision, including cattle, pigs and horses.


SLOW CREEP

This is not an eruption at the caldera, the things that make for stunning pictures as deeply red lava spews from the mountaintop.

Instead, it is lava slowly moving down the volcano's flank through a heavily forested area. The forest's thick tangles of vegetation and tall trees make it difficult to see, said Janet Babb, a spokeswoman for the Hawaii Volcano Observatory.



Map locates Kilauea volcano in Hawaii.; 2c x 3 inches; 96.3 mm x 76 mm;


WHO IS AT RISK?

Officials do not yet know exactly how many homes could be threatened by the lava flow and are conducting door-to-door interviews in the Kaohe Homesteads to get a count.

The subdivision is in Puna, a lush, agricultural district where papaya is a major crop. Everyone in the district about a 30-minute drive from the coastal town of Hilo lives on the volcano.

Officials have warned residents in the greater Puna region to be on alert as the lava could change direction and threaten other communities.


COUNTRY-STYLE LIVING

Why would someone live on an active volcano? Unlike Honolulu, the state's biggest city on the island of Oahu, the Big Island's Puna region still has affordable land and can offer a more rural way of life.

Located on the island's southeast side, the area is made up of subdivisions like Kaohe Homesteads that have unpaved roads of volcanic rock that are not maintained by the county.

"It's got a country-style living that appeals to people and that's somewhat rare in Hawaii," county spokesman Kevin Dayton said. "People there live off the grid on solar and catchment water systems. It's sort of an independent type of person who's willing to rough it a little bit."

People who live there also know the risks. Dayton said there are special insurance requirements to buy land in certain lava zones.


HOW LONG WILL THE RISK REMAIN?

No one knows for sure if the lava flow will stop, change direction or hit homes. It also is difficult to predict when the flow will stop or if it will start again from another vent.

In the 1990s, about 200 homes were destroyed by lava flows from Kilauea.

The last evacuations from the volcano came in 2011. One home was destroyed and others were threatened before the lava changed course.


CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

Kilauea is home to Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess. At a community meeting Thursday, some residents expressed anger at suggestions to divert the flow. They say it's culturally insensitive to interfere with Pele's will.


YOUNG VOLCANO

The U.S. Geological Survey says Kilauea is the youngest volcano on Hawaii Island, and she hides her age well. Officials estimate Kilauea's first eruption happened between 300,000 and 600,000 years ago.


DON'T CANCEL VACATION PLANS

Officials with Hawaii's tourism industry say there's no need for potential visitors to alter their vacation plans. The lava flow is an isolated event and won't affect plans to snorkel, surf or tan.


http://news.yahoo.com/look-hawaii-volcano-spewing-lava-223229704.html

[Buster's Uncle]

Hawaii island declares emergency over volcano threat
AFP
4 hours ago



Breakouts of lava from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano are seen near the West end of Wilipe, Hawaii, on July 31, 2002 (AFP Photo/USGS)



Los Angeles (AFP) - Hawaii's Big Island has declared a state of emergency as lava from an active volcano threatens nearby homes, which could be evacuated within days, officials and reports said Friday.

Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi signed a proclamation Thursday after the lava flow from the Kilauea volcano advanced to within a mile of a residential area known as the Ka‘ohe Homesteads.

"We are taking this step to ensure our residents have time to prepare their families, their pets, and their livestock for a safe and orderly evacuation from Ka‘ohe in the event the flow continues to advance," Kenoi said.

The emergency proclamation lets authorities close roads to non-residents, to make it easier for people who live there to evacuate rapidly if necessary, said Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira.

No evacuation has yet been ordered, but residents are being urged to "finalize their evacuation plans and monitor county Civil Defense updates closely in the days ahead," said a statement from the mayor's office.

According to the Honolulu Star newspaper, the lava flow could reach houses within days, possibly a week.

Hawaii Island, or the Big Island, is the largest of the eight main islands which make up the Pacific US state -- an archipelago that includes hundreds of smaller volcanic islands.


http://news.yahoo.com/hawaii-island-declares-emergency-over-volcano-threat-214359310.html