Hawaii battens down hatches
VOLCANO: EARTHQUAKES AND AFTERSHOCKS COULD CONTINUE FOR DAYS, EVEN WEEKS
Lava, toxic gas forces evacuation of more than 1 700.
Hundreds of anxious residents on the Big Island of Hawaii hunkered down on Saturday for what could be weeks or months of upheaval as the dangers from an erupting Kilauea volcano continued to grow.
Lava spurted from volcanic vents, toxic gas filled the air and strong earthquakes — including a magnitude 6.9 tremblor on Friday – rocked an already jittery population. The trifecta of natural threats forced the evacuation of more than 1 700 people and prompted the closure of parks, college campuses and a section of the main road through the area.
Five structures have burned and thousands of customers briefly lost power from one of the larger quakes.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory warned distressed residents at a community meeting on Friday that eruptions could last longer than the ones from earlier in the week, and that earthquakes and aftershocks could continue for days, even weeks.
Gary McMillan said his home is about 3 000 feet (914m) from one of the fissures that is spewing lava and gas into Leilani Estates. He says that as of now his home is still intact.
He understands why authorities are keeping residents out.
“I was a critical care nurse for 37 years, so I understand the health implications and the dangers involved,” McMillan said.
The lava lake at Kilauea’s summit crater dropped significantly, suggesting the magma was moving eastward toward Puna, a rural district of forests, papaya farms and previous lava fields.
Officials warned of the dangers of spattering hot rock and high levels of sulphuric gas.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park evacuated all visitors and non-emergency staff. The quakes triggered rockslides on park trails and crater walls. Narrow fissures appeared in the ground at a building overlooking the crater at Kilauea’s summit.
Leilani Estates, where lava was pushing through cracks in the earth, has about 1 700 residents and 770 homes. A nearby neighbourhood, Lanipuna Gardens, which has a few dozen people, was also evacuated.
Kilauea has been continuously erupting since 1983 and is one of five volcanoes on the Big Island. Activity picked up earlier this week.
The crater floor began to collapse Monday last week, triggering earthquakes and pushing the lava into new underground chambers. The collapse caused magma to push 16km downslope toward the southeast coastline. – AP