About 1,700 homeowners in Pahoa, Hawaii, have been forced to evacuate as the lava flow from a volcano inched closer to their properties. Most of the evacuations were centered in the Leilani Estates area on Hawaii’s Big Island.
So far, 21 homes have been destroyed following the eruption of the Kilauea volcano, which reportedly has spewed lava more than 200 feet into the air. “That number could change,” Hawaii County spokesperson Janet Snyder told
USA Today. “This is heartbreaking.”
Molten rock, toxic gas, and steam have burst through openings in the ground that were created by the volcano. There’s no indication of how far the lava could spread. “There’s more magma in the system to be erupted,” says Wendy Stovall, a volcanologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. “As long as that supply is there, the eruption will continue.”
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It has been erupting continuously since 1983. An alert in mid-April from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observation warned of growing signs of pressure building in underground magma and that a new vent was in danger of forming along what’s known as the East Rift Zone. Leilani Estates is located along that zone.
The crater floor began to collapse last week, which triggered earthquakes and pushed lava further through underground chambers. On Friday, Hawaii recorded a magnitude 6.9 earthquake—its largest in more than 40 years.
Source: “Dozens of Homes Destroyed as Fierce Hawaii Volcano Spews Lava,” Associated Post (May 6, 2018) and “Peril in Hawaii: Lava From Kilauea Volcano Destroys Homes on the Big Island,” USA Today (May 6, 2018)
