The eruption of the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island has destroyed around 26 homes and five structures. Since the eruption began, 10 fissures have emerged, and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate. Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency administrator Talmadge Magno told CBS News yesterday, “There’s no sign of things slowing down.”
Kilauea has spewed lava as high as 230 feet up into the air, according to Vox. Lava bursting from fissures has destroyed houses. According to a Sunday evening update from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, in the Leilani Estates subdivision, in the volcano’s lower East Rift Zone, intermittent lava eruption was ongoing, and “new ground cracks in the vicinity of fissures eight and nine…were emitting thick steam and gases.”
Related: Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupts, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate
Sulfur dioxide emissions are also a concern — Vox cited the Civil Defense Agency as calling the gas “a threat to all who become exposed.” It’s often expelled in large amounts during a volcanic eruption. In a Sunday evening update, the Civil Defense Agency said Lanipuna Gardens residents would not able to access the area because of dangerous volcanic gases. Leilani Estates residents were “allowed to continue evacuation to check on their property” during certain hours, but only if conditions permitted, and the agency said lines of safety can change “because of unstable conditions that involve toxic gas, earthquakes, and lava activities.”
“Please, the residents of Leilani need your help. This is not the time for sightseeing. You can help tremendously by staying out of the area,” the Civil Defense Agency said in the update. “The residents of Leilani Estates are going through a very difficult time. We ask for your understanding. We ask for your help.”
Kilauea is among the most active volcanoes in the world, according to the United States Geological Survey, and “may even top the list.”
Via Vox
Images via U.S. Geological Survey
