Mauna Loa erupts; prep warnings issued

The world’s largest active volcano was erupting Monday, the first time in 38 years. It wasn’t immediately threatening communities on Hawaii’s Big Island, but officials warned residents to be ready for worse.

The U.S. Geological Survey warned the roughly 200,000 people on the Big Island that an eruption “can be very dynamic, and the location and advance of lava flows can change rapidly.”

The eruption began late Sunday night following a series of fairly large earthquakes, said Ken Hon, the scientist-in-charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

There’s been a surge of development on the Big Island in recent decades — its population has more than doubled, from 92,000 in 1980.