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Hawaii Volcano Lava Wave Nears Homes

Hawaii Volcano Lava Wave Nears Homes

Los Angeles — Smoldering lava from a slow-erupting volcano has reached within yards (several meters) of homes on Hawaii’s Big Island, emergency officials said Monday as villagers braced to evacuate.

The lava flow from the Kilauea volcano has been threatening nearby homes for weeks, and was 100 yards (91 meters) from the nearest house by early Monday. The lava front was moving at between 10-15 yards (9-14 m) an hour.

“Based on the current flow location, direction and advancement, residents in the flow path were placed on an evacuation advisory,” said the County of Hawaii’s Civil Defense force in an online update.

The slow-moving waves of lava, burning everything in its path, had advanced some 275 yards (251 m) in the past 24 hours towards Pahoa town, on the eastern tip of the island, officials said.

Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi declared a state of emergency last month after the lava advanced to within a mile (1.6 km) of a residential area known as the Ka’ohe Homesteads.

Last week, Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration to unlock federal resources to help local emergency protective measures.

As the lava threatens a main road in the area, measures needed include providing alternative routes and accommodating some 900 children that will be displaced by the lava, according to Abercrombie’s office.

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

AFP Photo

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Residents Told To Prepare To Evacuate As Lava Threatens In Hawaii

Residents Told To Prepare To Evacuate As Lava Threatens In Hawaii

By Javier Panzar, Los Angeles Times

Residents in the flow path of the slowly erupting Kilauea volcano in the Puna district of Hawaii Island have been told to prepare for a possible evacuation in the next three to five days, county officials said Sunday.

A slow moving strip of lava that has been flowing since June crossed into the Pahoa Cemetery Sunday morning and is crawling along at 10 yards per hour toward downtown Pahoa, the county said in an alert Sunday.

The lava has advanced approximately 250 yards since Saturday morning, according to the alert. The lava may advance faster once it reaches the slopes at or just below the cemetery, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Residents in the flow path are being asked to prepare for a possible evacuation in the next three to five days.

The flow began June 27 and traveled through an uninhabited rain forest, skirting the Ka’ohe Homesteads subdivision in September before slowing down.

The volcano has been erupting continuously for 31 years, and the threat in September prompted the building of emergency access roads, but it’s possible that those roads could be covered by lava as the flow advances toward the ocean.

AFP Photo/Patrick Baz

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In Hawaii, Emergency Declared As Lava Approaches Subdivisions

In Hawaii, Emergency Declared As Lava Approaches Subdivisions

By Kurtis Lee, Los Angeles Times

Hawaiian officials called a state of emergency Thursday for portions of the Big Island after advancing lava from the Kilauea volcano came within a mile of a subdivision and threatened to cut off the major road serving the area.

“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,” Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi said in a statement, referring to the Ka’ohe subdivision.

Kenoi called for the state of emergency after U.S. Geological Survey officials raised the lava threat from a watch to a warning for subdivisions in the Wao Kele o Puna area. A USGS warning means a hazardous lava flow is imminent and underway.

The subdivisions under threat are about 15 miles south of Hilo. According to Kenoi’s request for help from Gov. Neil Abercrombie, at least 8,200 people live in the area that could potentially be cut off. Kenoi said the lava was expected to cross Highway 130, which he described as the “only major thoroughfare” serving the area.

In a statement, Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said civil defense employees would conduct door-to-door visits to encourage residents to prepare to evacuate.

Officials on Thursday limited access to the subdivision roads to residents only and urged others to stay away.

“The lava cannot be seen from the subdivision, and there is no reason for nonresidents to be in the Ka’ohe subdivision at this time,” Oliveira said.

Officials from the Hawaii County Civil Defense Administration and the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory are holding public meetings to update residents on the lava flow.

AFP Photo/Patrick Baz

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