Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Volcano, 6.9 earthquake rattle Hawaiians
PAHOA, Hawaii — Hundreds of rural residents living on an erupting volcano in Hawaii fled the threat of lava that spewed into the air in bursts of fire and pushed up steam from cracks in roadways Friday.
After a week of earthquakes and warnings, the eruption of Kilauea threw lava into the sky from a crack in a road and sent another line of molten rock snaking through a forest. Two new volcanic vents, which spew lava, developed Friday, bringing the number formed to five.
The volcano has prompted officials to order more than 1,700 people out of their Big Island homes since Thursday, when the eruption began. Authorities, meanwhile, detected high levels of sulfur gas that they deemed threatening to the elderly and people with breathing problems.
Adding to the chaos Friday, the island’s largest earthquake in more than 40 years, a magnitude-6.9, struck near the south part of the volcano, after a smaller quake that rattled the same area.
Officials said highways, buildings and utility lines were not damaged, but residents said they felt strong shaking and more stress as they dealt with the dual environmental phenomena.
Several people fled the community of Leilani Estates near the town of Pahoa, which appeared to be in particular danger. Authorities also ordered an evacuation of Lanipuna Gardens, a smaller, more rural subdivision directly to the east.
Civil-defense officials cautioned the public about high levels of sulfur dioxide near the volcano and urged vulnerable people to leave immediately. Exposure to the gas can cause irritation or burns, sore throats, runny noses, burning eyes and coughing.
As Kilauea roared to life, the deafening sound of grinding rocks echoed in the air and fiery red-orange lava could be seen spurting from the ground.
“It sounded like there were rocks in a drier that were being tumbled around,” said Jeremiah Osuna, who lives near Leilani Estates. “You could hear the power of it pushing out of the ground.”
There were no immediate reports of injuries, but at least 100 people were staying in shelters Friday, with many more evacuees believed to be with relatives and friends.
The Hawaii governor activated the National Guard to help with evacuations and provide security to about 770 structures in Leilani Estates and 130 lots in Lanipuna Gardens left empty when residents sought shelter.
“Please be safe,” Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, wrote on Twitter.
Scientists were processing data from the earthquakes to see if they were affecting the eruption, said Janet Babb, spokesman for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
“The magma moving down the rift zones, it causes stress on the south flank of the volcano,” she said. “We’re just getting a series of earthquakes.”
State Sen. Russell Ruderman said he has experienced many earthquakes but that the magnitude-5.4 temblor that hit first “scared the heck out of me.” Merchandise fell off the shelves in a natural-food store he owns.
When the larger quake followed, he said he felt strong shaking in Hilo, the island’s largest city that is roughly 45 minutes from the rural Puna area.
“We’re all rattled right now,” he said. “It’s one thing after another. It’s feeling kind of stressful out here.”
Kilauea has erupted periodically for decades, and scientists said they have no way of predicting how long the eruption will continue.
County, state and federal officials had been warning residents all week that they should be prepared to evacuate because an eruption would give little warning. The geological survey on Thursday raised the volcano’s alert level to warning status, the highest possible, meaning a hazardous eruption was imminent, underway or expected.
Kilauea’s Puu Oo crater floor began to collapse Monday, triggering the earthquakes and pushing the lava into new underground chambers. The collapse caused magma to push more than 10 miles downslope toward the populated southeast coastline of the island.
The magma later crossed under Highway 130, which leads to a popular volcano access point. Civil-defense authorities closed the area to visitors and ordered private tour companies to stop taking people into the region.
Over the decades, most of Kilauea’s activity has been nonexplosive, but a 1924 eruption spewed ash and 10-ton rocks into the sky and killed one person.