Hawaii on High Alert as Kilauea Volcano Continues To Erupt

By
T. Grant Benson
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0
2099
Lava flows along a street near a fissure in Leilani Estates on the Kilauea volcano's lower East Rift Zone.

The massive Kilauea volcano continues to erupt in Hawaii, sending lava into residential neighborhoods. The island of nearly 200,000 people has also been rocked by a series of earthquakes.

According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, six homes have been destroyed. No fatalities have been reported.

In early May 2018, hundreds of small earthquakes were detected on Kīlauea’s East rift zone, leading officials to issue evacuation warnings. On May 3, 2018, the volcano erupted in Puna after a 5.0 earthquake earlier in the day, causing evacuations of the Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions. That evening, Hawaii Governor David Ige activated the state National Guard to help with the evacuation process.

This photo provided by Shane Turpin shows results of the eruption from Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island Friday, May 4, 2018. The eruption sent molten lava through forests and bubbling up from paved streets and forced the evacuation of about 1,500 people who were still out of their homes Friday after Thursday’s eruption. (Shane Turpin via AP)

In this image released by the U.S. Geological Survey, steam rises from cracks in the road shortly before a fissure opened up on Kaupili Street in the Leilani Estates subdivision, Friday, May 4, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. The Kilauea volcano sent more lava into Hawaii communities Friday, a day after forcing more than 1,500 people to flee from their mountainside homes, and authorities detected high levels of sulfur gas that could threaten the elderly and people with breathing problems.
(U.S. Geological Survey via AP)

The Civil Defense Agency has reported extreme levels of sulphur dioxide gas in the area, and Talmadge Magno, the Civil Defense Administrator for Hawaii County, stated that power lines had melted off the poles due to heat.

Kilauea is the youngest and most active volcano on Hawaii Island, according to the USGS.

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