April 02, 2018
Original Article
http://www.staradvertiser.com/2018/05/03/breaking-news/magma-activity-eases-but-eruption-still-possible-on-big-isle/
UPDATE: 8:30 a.m.
At least three small fissure vents have opened up in Leilani Estates, according to the Hawaii Volcano Observatory. Lava activity consists mostly of “vigorous” spattering, the HVO said in a bulletin. “Additional outbreaks are likely.”
8:15 a.m.
All of Leilani Estates subdivision is closed due to hazardous air quality and unstable lava conditions, Hawaii County Police said. No entry is permitted.
8:00 a.m.
Two homes have been destroyed by lava, according to Hawaii island Mayor Harry Kim, ABC News reported today.
About 1,800 people have been ordered to evacuate the eruption area.
5:45 a.m.
Extremely high levels of noxious sulfur dioxide are still present in the evacuation area, according to the Hawaii County Fire Department. Elderly residents, children and those with respiratory issues are advised to leave the area immediately.
Meanwhile, first responders continue to assist with the evacuation of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions.
4:35 a.m.
Active fountaining of the eruption in Leilani Estates has been confirmed, according to Hawaii County Civil Defense.
Vents are erupting on Makamae and Mohala streets. All residents of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions are ordered to evacuate immediately.
Civil Defense announced the following:
>> Kua O Ka La Charter School, Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science, Keonepoko Elementary and Pahoa High, Intermediate, and Elementary will be closed today.
Hawaii Fire Department reports extremely high levels of dangerous Sulfur Dioxide gas detected in the evacuation area. Elderly, young, and people with respiratory issues need to comply with the mandatory evacuation order and leave the area.
>> All residents in Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens Subdivisions are required to evacuate. The Pahoa Community Center and the Kea’au Community Center are open for shelter.
>> Residents evacuating should bring an emergency evacuation supply kit including necessary medicine, food, and necessary items for your comfort if possible.
>> The Hawaii Police Department reminds the public that a temporary flight restriction is in place for most of lower Puna. Drones can be confiscated in the Temporary Flight Restriction Area (TFR). More at tfr.faa.gov
>> Pohoiki Road is closed from the intersection at Highway 132 down to Highway 137 to allow evacuation efforts to proceed.
>> Puna Geothermal Venture power production is suspended until further notice.
10:15 p.m.
Hawaii Fire Department reports extremely high levels of dangerous sulfur dioxide gas detected in the evacuation area. Elderly, young, and people with respiratory issues need to comply with the mandatory evacuation order and leave the area.
>> All residents in Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens Subdivisions are required to evacuate.
>> The Pahoa Regional Community Center near the new Pahoa Regional Park is open for shelter.
>> Keaau Community Center is open for additional shelter needs.
>> Residents evacuating should ensure to bring your emergency evacuation supply kit including necessary medicine, food, and necessary items for your comfort if possible.
>> An emergency proclamation is now in effect.
>> Pohoiki Road is closed from the intersection at Highway 132 up to Lanipuna Subdivision to allow evacuation efforts to proceed.
>> Hawaii Gas Company Customers with questions should call their 24/7 hotline at (808) 935-0021.
>> Puna Geothermal Venture operations have shut down indefinitely until further notice.
>>Avoid travel to the evacuation area for everyone’s safety.
VIDEOS:
UPDATE: 9:20 p.m.
Uber is offering up to $50 off two rides to and/or from the American Red Cross shelters for those impacted by the flowing Kilauea volcano lava.
The company has also disabled dynamic (‘surge’) pricing in the area.
To request, enter the promo code PUNASAFE in the Payment section of your Uber rider app*.
Puna evacuation centers:
>> Kea’au Community Center: 16-186 Pili Mua St, Keaau, HI 96749
>> Pahoa Community Center: 15-3022 Kauhale Street, Pahoa, HI 96778
* Ride offer valid for 2 trips (up to $50 per trip) on uberX through 11:59pm HST on 5/7/18 to or from the evacuation locations listed above. Driver-partner earnings will not be affected.
UPDATE: 9:10 p.m.
Hawaii Volcano Observatory scientists said tonight that a 492-foot-long fissure erupted with lava for about two hours in Leilani Estates in lower Puna.
The flowing Kilauea volcano lava traveled a few yards from the fissure and stopped, the scientists said. The eruption is not over, as there continues to be volcanic activity in the area, they stressed.
“At this point it is wait and see what happens next,” said Janet Babb, HVO geologist.
UPDATE: 8:25 p.m.
Hawaii Electric Light employees are going to the Leilani Estates area tonight to disconnect power in the places impacted by the active lava flow.
Utility personnel are on scene. Although the areas near Mohala Street are without power, crews are doing work to reroute power to maintain electric service for the rest of Leilani Estates that is not impacted by the lava.
The company expects to have sufficient generation for tonight, despite the emergency shutdown of independent power producer Puna Geothermal Venture. A generation shortfall is not expected.
UPDATE: 8:15 p.m.
Gov. David Ige signed an emergency proclamation tonight that “authorizes the expenditure of state monies as appropriated for quick and efficient relief caused by the volcanic eruption.”
The proclamation comes about three hours after a Kilauea volcano lava outbreak inundated a neighborhood in the eastern end of the Leilani Estates residential subdivisionin lower Puna on the Big Island.
“The lava is flowing onto streets in the subdivision, which consists of about 770 structures,” the governor announced. The lava flow prompted the mandatory evacuation of about 1,700 residents of Leilani Estates.
“The danger is of such magnitude that it warrants preemptive and protective action in order to provide for the safety, health and welfare of the residents of Leilani Estates and surrounding areas,” the governor office said.
UPDATE: 7:10 p.m.
Gov. David Ige has called in the Hawaii National Guard to help with evacuation efforts in lower Puna as a new Kilauea volcano lava outbreak inundates a Leilani Estates neighborhood.
“I am in contact with Mayor (Harry) Kim, and the state is actively supporting the county’s emergency response efforts,” the governor said in a news release tonight. “I have activated the Hawaii National Guard to provide support to county emergency response personnel to help with evacuations and security. I urge residents in Leilani Estates and the surrounding areas to follow instructions from the county of Hawaii’s Civil Defense Agency. Please be alert and prepare now to keep your family safe.”
A Hawaii National Guard spokesman told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that additional soldiers will be called up Friday, however he did not have a specific number.
Acting Hawaii County Mayor Wil Okabe issued a state of emergency declaration earlier this evening. The state of emergency is in effect for the next 60 days or until further action by the county.
UPDATE 6:55 p.m.
The American Red Cross has opened a second shelter for lower Puna residents evacuated after a lava flow emerged in a Leilani Estates neighborhood.
The second shelter is at the Keaau Community Center on 16-186 Pili Mua St. The Red Cross earlier opened a shelter at Pahoa Community Center.
UPDATE 6:50 p.m.
Hawaii County police say access to Leilani Estates and Lani Puna subdivisions in lower Puna is now closed due to steam and lava emissions from a crack in the area of Mohala Street, with access granted to residents only.
Road closures are in effect at Highway 130 and Leilani Boulevard, Highway 132 and Pohoiki Road, and Highway 137 and Pohoiki Road.
“We are asking that all motorists stay clear of these areas to assist first responders in evacuation efforts. Stay tuned to local news and radio to be informed of updates and any conditions that may affect your safety,” police said.
Witness Michael Hale told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that after seeing the explosions of lava bursting from the long, fiery fissure just two blocks from his home and business, he found his sense of what’s important dramatically clarified.
“I looked around and asked myself ‘what’s valuable?’” Hale said, recalling the tense moments before he evacuated Hale Hale Hostel and Vacation Rentals. “In that moment, nothing looked valuable. I filled the (truck) cab with mostly junk and that was it.”
Just an hour earlier, Hale had heard the first rumblings from a violent breach of steam and lava escaping through a rift along Mohala Street in the Leilani Estates subdivision in Pahoa.
“I could see the plumes from my roof,” he said.
In short order, County Civil Defense ordered an evacuation of the eastern end of the subdivision, from Luana Street to Mohala Street.
Hale ran to one of his nearby rental units to inform his tenants before evacuating to the northern end of the subdivision to await further instructions. Within another hour, Civil Defense extended the evacuation to the entire subdivision.
Many of the evacuees took shelter at Pahoa Regional Community Center.
UPDATE 6:25 p.m.
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists said that shortly before 5 p.m., lava was confirmed at the surface in the eastern end of the Leilani Estates subdivision.
They said that new ground cracks were reported in Leilani Estates late this afternoon, with white, hot vapor and blue fumes coming from craxks in the eastern end of the subdivision.
Areas downslope of the erupting vent are at risk of lava inundation, an HVO alert said with the Leilani subdivision appears at greatest risk.
“The opening phases of fissure eruptions are dynamic. Additional vents and new lava outbreaks may occur and at this time it is not possible to say where new vents may occur,” HVO scientists said.
>> For more Facebook video on your mobile app, visit https://www.facebook.com/maija.stenback/videos/10215157639749910/
UPDATE 5:55 p.m.
Hawaii County Civil Defense has extended the mandatory evacuation to all residents in Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions.
Lower Puna resident Ikaika Marzo said at 5:30 p.m. that lava fountains were shooting up 150 feet in the air, with molten lava spreading out over an area 200 yards wide behind a house on Mohala Street in Leilani Estates.
“It sounds like a jet engine. It’s going hard,” he said.
Marzo, who runs a concession in Kalapana, was urging followers on social media to come to Leilani Estates to help people evacuate.
>> For more volcano coverage, visit https://808ne.ws/2FIMk5c
“There are a lot of elderly people who need help to get their stuff out,” Marzo said.
County officials caution that the intersection at Highway 132 and Pohoiki Road is closed to allow evacuation efforts to proceed.
Leilani Estates has a population of about 1,500, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.
Drone video courtesy of Jeremiah Osuna shows a stream of lava crossing a wooded area and a roadway. (For mobile app users, click here for the video: https://808ne.ws/2FJwRSM.)
UPDATE 5:23 p.m.
Hawaii CountyDepartment of Public Works crews reported steam and lava emissions from a crack in Leilani Subdivision in the area of Mohala Street, officials said late this afternoon.
County Civil Defense said a mandatory evacuation is in effect for residents in Leilani Estates subdivision from Luana Street to Mohala Street including the lower end of Leilani Avenue to the end of the subdivision to Pohoiki Road.
The Pahoa Regional Community Center near the new Pahoa Regional Park is open for shelter, officials said.
“Residents evacuating should ensure to bring your emergency evacuation supply kit including necessary medicine, food, and necessary items for your comfort if possible,” they said.
The intersection at Highway 132 and Pohoiki Road has been closed to allow evacuation efforts to proceed.
Puna Geothermal Venture is executing their emergency plan and starting to shut down operations at their time, Civil Defense said.
UPDATE: 5 p.m.
A new lava flow opened up in Leilani Estates in lower Puna shortly after 4 p.m., prompting Hawaii County Civil Defense officials to start evacuating residents.
A plume shot up over the large East Hawaii subdivision. The evacuation area stretches from Luana Street to Pohoiki Road, said Kanani Aton of Civil Defense.
American Red Cross officials said they are opening a shelter at the Pahoa Community Center on Kuahale Street for residents evacuated from their homes due to the lava threat.
UPDATE: 4:20 p.m.
Hawaii County Civil Defense officials say the agency is on “high alert on a 24-hour basis for the possibility of a volcanic eruption in the lower Puna area.”
The entire county emergency response team has been activated, officials said.
They also issued a new map of the high-risk areas, which run from Puu Oo crater down to Kapoho, including Leilani Estates and Kaohe Homesteads.
“All areas bordering the east rift zone are at high risk for eruption activities,” said a Hawaii County news released late this afternoon. “Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has identified magma movement in the lower east rift zone. We urge all residents to keep themselves informed and on the alert.”
County officials said that residents should be on the alert for lava inundation, fire, smoke, methane gas explosion, earthquakes, poor air quality.
Residents in the high-risk areas are urged to:
>> Prepare an emergency plan with family members immediately.
>> Stay informed by listening to the radio.
>> Report any unusual events to Civil Defense at 935-0031.
>> Call 935-0031 for special assistance.
Evacuation shelters will be open as needed, they said
UPDATE: 12:38 p.m.
The U.S. Geological Survey has upgraded the size of the 10:30 a.m. earthquake on Kilauea volcano to 5.0 magnitude. USGS had initially listed the quake as magnitude 4.2, then 4.7.
The quake was centered about 18 miles south-southwest of Hawaiian Paradise Park and 26.6 miles south of Hilo, at a depth of about 4 miles. It is the strongest tremor so far in a series of hundreds of magnitude 2.5 quakes or greater in the east rift zone of the volcano. Scientists say the quakes and increased magma activity are a sign that a lava outbreak is possible. Residents of lower Puna have been warned to be ready to evacuate and to monitor county and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports on the developing situation.
The USGS “Did you feel it?” website received more than 500 reports from residents throughout Hawaii island.
“It appears that ground shaking from the earthquake caused rockfalls in the Puu Oo crater on Kilauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone, which resulted in a short-lived plume of reddish ash rising above the cone,” said Tina Neal, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist-in-charge.
The quake was too small to generate a tsunami.
UPDATE: 11:50 a.m.
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists reported that the 10:30 a.m. quake south of Puu Oo caused rockfalls and a possible additional collapse into the crater on Kilauea volcano.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was magnitude 4.7, the largest so far in hundreds of small tremors in the area in recent days. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists said ground shaking from the quake south of Puu Oo on the lower east rift zone led to a short-lived plume of ash from the collapse. The plume lofted skyward and is dissipating as it drifts southwest. “Anyone downwind may experience a dusting of ash,” an HVO report said.
The earthquake caused no other changes at Kilauea Volcano, scientists said.
UPDATE: 11:35 a.m.
Hawaii County police said they have reopened Pohoiki Road between Highway 132 and Leilani Avenue, which had been closed due to the emergence of cracks in the roadway. The cracks are believed to have been caused by the seismic activity and magma movement in the lower east rift zone of Kilauea volcano. Police said a metal plate was placed over the damaged pavement.
UPDATE: 11:13 a.m.
A magnitude 4.6 magnitude earthquake struck the south flank of Kilauea Volcano at about 10:30 a.m. today, Hawaii County Civil Defense reported.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tremor was not large enough to cause a tsunami.
The latest quake is the largest in hundreds of magnitude 2.5 and larger tremors over the last few days which scientists say is a possible precursor of a new lava outbreak from Kilauea volcano’s lower east rift zone.
Earlier today, the Hawaii Volcano Observatory reported that there had been a slight drop in intensity of magma intrusion in the area along the east rift zone.The intrusion is not migrating further to the east, according to spokeswoman Janet Babb.
“There has been some decrease in the seismic deformation but it’s still active,” she said.
Scientists have indicated an eruption is possible but not imminent. Hawaii Civil Defense officials have warned residents in Nanawale Estates, Leilani Estates and Kapoho in lower Puna to remain vigilant.
Crews are using helicopters today to observe the area and are checking seismometers and global positioning system receivers.
Meanwhile, Pohoiki Road remains closed between Highway 132 and Leilani Avenue due to cracks. Officials also reported cracks have formed within Leilani Estates.
No steam was observed emerging from the cracks at this time
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The Hawaii Volcano Observatory has reported that there’s a slight drop in intensity of magma intrusion in the area along the east rift zone.
The intrusion is not migrating further to the east, according to spokeswoman Janet Babb.
“There has been some decrease in the seismic deformation but it’s still active,” she said.
Small earthquakes continue along the east rift zone in lower Puna to Kapoho.
Scientists indicated an eruption is possible but not imminent. Hawaii Civil Defense officials have warned residents in Nanawale Estates, Leilani Estates and Kapoho in lower Puna to remain vigilant.
Field crews are heading out to the site today via helicopter to observe the area and check on seismometers and global positioning system receivers.
Meanwhile, Pohoiki Road remains closed between Highway 132 and Leilani Avenue due to cracks. Officials also reported cracks have formed within Leilani Estates.
No steam was observed emerging from the cracks at this time.
