Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Destroys Dozens Of Homes, Shows 'No Sign Of Slowing Down'
Hawaii’s erupting Kilauea volcano has destroyed more than two dozen homes in the Big Island’s Puna district and forced the evacuation of more than 1,700 people since lava began spewing into residential neighborhoods on Thursday.
Dramatic videos in recent days show fountains of lava shooting hundreds of feet into the air, and hot steam and toxic gases billowing from a growing number of fissures in the earth’s surface.
Heartwrenching images of cars catching fire and rivers of red-hot lava blanketing houses have also been shared widely on social media.
“My son keeps asking me, ‘Mommy when are we going to go home?’” Amber Makuakane, a single mom of two whose property was destroyed on Saturday, told The Associated Press.
Time Lapse of giant #lava flow consuming car, telephone pole falling
Date: 5-6-2018
Location: Leilani Estates, Hi #LeilaniEstates #Leilani #Hawaii #volcano pic.twitter.com/7Td2ecfV62— WXChasing (@bclemms) May 7, 2018
The destructive power of Kilauea is on display this morning in Leilani Estates, where at least one more home has been destroyed by lava. Mandatory evacuations remain in effect at this hour. LATEST: https://t.co/fPdIKDL0E3 pic.twitter.com/5P5MBcWyWc
— Hawaii News Now (@HawaiiNewsNow) May 5, 2018
View from above Leilani Estates. 📷: @USGS #Kilauea pic.twitter.com/Jwo1B9L2wa
— Allyson Blair (@AllysonBlairTV) May 6, 2018
At least 31 homes have been destroyed by the lava eruptions, reported AP, and officials said that figure could increase in the coming days.
More than 1,700 residents from Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens, subdivisions of the Big Island’s Puna district, have been forced to evacuate.
Here’s footage of some of the lava activity inside Leilani Estates from CB photographer @corylumphoto #Kilauea #bigisland pic.twitter.com/OkZz9xw6aJ
— Honolulu Civil Beat (@CivilBeat) May 5, 2018
Officials warned Sunday that it was impossible to predict how long the volcanic activity would continue. But for the moment, said one, there was “no sign of things slowing down.”
“That’s the sad part about it,” Hawaii County civil defense administrator Talmadge Magno told CBS News. “It could be happening for a long time, or on the other hand … mysteriously it could just end.”
Kilauea erupted on Thursday, following days of earthquakes. Activity intensified on Friday after powerful, back-to-back temblors.
As of Sunday, officials said at least 10 fissures — elongated fractures or cracks in the earth’s surface from which lava erupts — had opened in Puna, parts of which sit on Kilauea’s east rift zone.
Steaming cracks open on Pohoiki Road just east of Leilani Street in the Leilani Estates Subdivision on Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone. https://t.co/5w1RIQyCCC pic.twitter.com/7cg9zimA7b
— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) May 6, 2018
Lava fountains 300 ft high during May 5 fissure eruption in Leilani Estates. https://t.co/W0qoOFPYV8 pic.twitter.com/TKKPjPLNQg
— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) May 7, 2018
According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, newly opened fissures have been “active for a couple of hours before shutting off.” The observatory said more fissures are likely to open, but it couldn’t predict details.
“This is a very fast moving-situation,” Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim said on Sunday, according to Hawaii News Now. “This is unfortunately not the end.”
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WATCH: This fissure from the #Kilauea #Volcano eruption is spewing #lava and molten rock. The sound was unexpectedly thunderous. One of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced. pic.twitter.com/G27LXE2Vvq
— Stephanie Elam (@StephanieElam) May 5, 2018
As displaced residents steeled themselves for a possibly long spell away from home, many expressed a serene attitude.
“You have to ask Pele,” Steve Clapper, a Leilani Estates resident, told the AP, when asked when he thought he might return home. Pele, according to traditional Hawaiin beliefs, is the volcano goddess who resides in Kilauea.
“What can you do? You have no control over it,” Clapper continued. “Pele’s the boss, you know.”
May 6, 2018: The power of Pele at work. It’s a devastating sight from above Leilani Estates.
LATEST: https://t.co/A8jmRekJCY
PHOTOS: https://t.co/i0ZHMD6XUG #HINews #HNN pic.twitter.com/fUxsQUWJno— Hawaii News Now (@HawaiiNewsNow) May 7, 2018
Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has been erupting continuously since 1983. Lava, however, hasn’t threatened the population since 2014, when a slow-moving flow prompted road closures and evacuations.
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