Hawaii volcano eruption MAP: Lanipuna Gardens EVACUATED - USGS latest map warning
HAWAII’S Kilauea volcano erupted again yesterday, shooting lava and toxic gasses out of two new vents and prompting the emergency evacuation of the Lanipuna Gardens neighbourhood, the second to be evacuated. Here is the latest on the warnings issued and the area of activity mapped by the USGS.
Kilauea volcano leaves giant fissures in Hawaii roads
On Tuesday, Lanipuna residents received this frightening alert on their phones: “Evacuate Lanipuna Gardens now, immediate danger. Evacuate NOW.”
Two new vents have erupted, bringing the total number of fissures which have opened in the past week to 14.
Civil defence released a statement saying: “All Lanipuna residents must evacuate now. Evacuate towards the ocean Isaac Hale Beach Park.
“Vent number 13 has opened near the intersection of Leilani Avenue and Kahukai Road and Vent number 14 near Kaupili St. and Leilani Avenue.
"Both are actively erupting. Hazardous fumes continue to be released.”
Lanipuna Gardens is a subdivision of the Pahoa suburb of Hawaii’s Big Island, and sits right next to Leilani Estates, the neighbourhood which has suffered the brunt of Kilauea’s wrath.
The evacuation of Lanipuna Gardens, with a population of just 300, brings the total number of residents who have had to flee their homes to 2,000.
Before this most recent eruption, residents were given short windows of time in which they could return home to rescue pets and check on their homes.
The area, popular with tourists and locals alike, has long been a top choice for holidaymakers and retirees - and the threat of living at the base of one of the world’s most active volcano doesn’t seem to put many off.
US Army veteran Delance Weigel, 71, said: "Whether we lose our home or not, we'll see. But we're definitely going to be cut off. You move to paradise, then this happens."
David Nail, who recently moved to Leilani Estates from California after his wife was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, said a 20-foot wall of lava blocked him from getting close enough to see if his house had been destroyed.
“All we could do was sit there and cry," he said.
No fatalities of serious injuries have been reported since Kilauea, the youngest of Hawaii’s volcanoes, erupted on Thursday and again on Tuesday.
The volcano has in fact been in constant eruption since 1983, but this usually manifests as non-explosive activity which sees Kilauea pour basaltic lava into the ocean.
This current explosive activity was triggered by a flurry of earthquakes in the area, culminating in a magnitude 6.9 eruption on Friday.
And it seems there could be more to come, with scientists and the civil defence warning that new areas could be subject to evacuation.
The fissure system, which spreads out like fingers from the volcano, is still spreading eastwards, threatening areas that had previously been considered safe.
"There's still plenty of magma under the ground. Seismicity is still up,” Hawaii Civil Defence Administrator Talmadge Magno told a community meeting on Monday night.
"If things get dicey, you got to get out.”