Volcano changing Hawaii's coastline; hundreds of home destroyed

SCREEN CAPTURE / . YOUTUBE

Lava fills Kapoho Bay on Hawaii's Big Island

IN A MATTER of a couple of days, Kapoho Bay has been filled in; Hawaii's largest lake has been evaporated by the searing hot lava; and hundreds of homes have been consumed by the unrelenting lava flows from the erupting Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii's Big Island.

"We don't have an estimate yet, but safe to say that hundreds of homes were lost in Kapoho Beach Lots and Vacationland last night," said Hawaii County spokeswoman Janet Snyder Tuesday (May 5). One of the homes belonged to Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim.

In a matter hours, lava evaporated the water in Green Lake, the largest fresh water body of water on Hawaii.

Lava flowing into the ocean continues to reconfigure the coastline. Kapoho Bay, where many of vacation homes are located, is no more. The lava has extended the coast apoproximately 750 yards from shore.

County Managing Director Wil Okabe said his own vacation home in Kapoho Beach Lots is also threatened. He also noted that Mayor Harry Kim lost his vacation home, too.

Okabe said of the mayor losing his home,""He was very depressed." Kim and Okabe live in Hilo, an hour's drive north from the Kapoho area.

Over the weekend, mandatory evacuation was ordered by authorities. To date, about 10,000 people have been evacuated from the area of lava flows although a handful have chosen to remain in an area that is now cut off with lava flows surrounding them. Rescue crews continue to monitor the stubborn stragglers in case they want to be airlifted to safety.

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Kilauea: Mandatory evactions ordered

USGS

Some of the Kilauea lava flows have reached the ocean.

LAVA from the erupting Kilauea Volcano has doubled the number of home it has destroyed and mandatory evacuations have been ordered. 

It has been almost a month since the eruptions and lava flows from the Hawaiian volcano forced evacuations of nearby communities.

The lava flowing the fissures have finally claimed the geothermal plant, says Ormat Technologies, who owns the plant in a prepared statement.

The lava has destroyed a substation and warehouse that stored a drilling rig and the main access road to the plant has been covered in lava, the statement continued.

The buildings were allegedly destroyed on Wednesday and on May 28, two geothermal wellheads at the plant were submerged with lava.

Because of the havoc and damage the volcano is causing, authorities gave residents two options: evacuate or get arrested.

Residents were advised to evacuate by Friday (May 1) afternoon. Emergency responders have no plans to rescue anyone from the evacuated areas past the deadline, the agency said.

"They are being asked to leave. Period," county spokeswoman Janet Snyder told reporters. She said those who remain may get trapped when lava blocks all escape routees and it will be too dangerous for rescuers to come to their aid.

"Persons remaining in mandatory evacuation area do so at own risk and emergency crews may not be able to respond.”

Brandee Menino, head of Hope Services Hawaii told Hawaii News Now: “There are households and families outside the shelters camping, in encampments, tents and in their cars.”

Hope Services Hawaii is Big Island’s largest homeless provider.

Over 10,000 residents have left their homes. Some are finding shelter with family or local hotels. Menino reported to the local news service that around 685 victims of the lava flow have contacted her organisation for help.

There are a further 200 people in search of permanent housing in the wake of the eruptions.

UPDATED May 3, 6:22 PDT, to correct number of residents who have been evacuated.

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Kilauea: Biggest eruption so far, residents ordered to shelter in place, gas masks issued

USGS

Ash covers an information panel near the summit of Kilauea as gases and ash continues to spew forth af Thursday's massive eruption.

UPDATED MAY 18, 9:30 a.m. PST

THE BIGGEST eruption since Hawaii’s Kilauea began rumbling two weeks ago occured Thursday morning. Residents ordered to take shelter as the volcano sends a plume of ash 30,000-feet into the sky and masks were handed out to locals.

Residents near Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii woke up early Thursday morning to the biggest explosion yet that prompted an order from the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency to shelter in place.

At about 5 a.m. Thursday (May 17), the Hawaii County CDA sent out a tweet ordering residents to shelter in place.

A Code Red alert has been issued to air traffic warning pilots to stay away from the area.

The USGS has alerted locals to evacuate the area, as giant rocks are sent flying into the air. As of Friday morning, the USGS report that seismic levels have been gradually increasing but "no additional explosions have occurred."

USGS officials warn that sulfer dioxide continues to seep from the 21 fissures creeping away from the Kilauea summit that may cause choking and difficulty in breathing. The shelter-in-place warning remains in effect.

Hawaii Volcano Observatory officials confirmed that there was an explosive eruption, but they still have yet to assess whether it was a steam-driven explosion that had been previously predicted in the area. 

The state Civil Defense agency said the plume was drifting northeast and warned residents to shelter in place. Driving conditions may be dangerous due to low visibility, the agency warned.

RELATED: Hawaiians muster up 'ohana'

"At any time, activity may again become more explosive, increasing the intensity of ash production and producing ballistic projectiles near the vent," the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Kilauea status page.

The steam-driven explosion occurred within Halema’uma’u Crater at Kilauea's summit at about 4:17 a.m. local time, and few Big Island residents were out and about.

After the massive explosion, 18,000 masks that protect from particulates like ash were given out Thursday. More masks are on the way for those choosing not to evacuate.

The masks do not protect against sulfur dioxide, a toxic gas that is still seeping from 21 fissures caused by volcanic activity. No new fissures, or vents in the ground, opened Thursday, he said.

Scientists with the USGS have not yet figured out the cause of explosions like the one that happened Thursday morning but they expect them to continue.

"At any time, activity may again become more explosive, increasing the intensity of ash production and producing ballistic projectiles near the vent," the USGS said. "

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Baseball player, Hawaiians come to the assistance of Kilauea evacuees

SCREEN CAPTURE / CBS

Lava flowed across a Hawaiian street and set a car aflame.

ST. LOUIS CARDINAL's 2nd baseman Kolten Wong is pitching in to help the victims of the Hawaiian volcano Kilauea lava flows.

Wong, a native of Hilo, Hawaii, near the now evacuated community said in a video that he felt a strong kuleana, or responsibility, to help his people by launching a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising $200,000.

“The one thing I know, man is that I love my people and I’m going to do everything for them,” said Wong in the video. “So I ask you guys humbly, I’m creating this GoFundMe page, it’s going to be in my bio, to go check it out … It’s going to be used in the right way…I’m going to make sure every single dollar you do give is going toward these people to help them rebuild what they have, to get their lives started up again and to help the Big Island rebuild.”

The Kilauea volcano has been spewing lava into communities on Hawaii's Big Island since Thursday, forcing more than 1,700 people, including many retirees, to flee from their mountainside homes.

SCREEN CAPTURE

Kolten Wong plays second base for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Accompanying Kilauea's recent activity, have been a series of earthquakes registering as high as the 6.9 that was recorded on Friday evening and have continued into Monday morning. Since these events, there have been continuous warnings pertaining to the ongoing dangers of lava, subsequent earthquakes as well as the sulfur dioxide gas that has been released into the air. 

"With the ongoing and present dangers, I have been in contact with numerous groups on the Big Island and will be donating all proceeds from this campaign to various local non-profits that are on the ground level impacting those affected," said Wong. 

"It’s at a time like this that we must kōkua (help) and come together as an extended ‘ohana (family) to help those in need." 

Out of the fire, a new community organization was born called Puuhonua o Puna, made up an army of volunteers providing assistance and feeding the evacuees.

On Monday (May 8) morning, trucks full of donations where bringing items to the center in Pahoa. People were bringing beds and cots, clothing, food, water, according to Hawaii News Now.

"Puna strong. Puna always comes together and all the islands. This is the Aloha State. There is so much aloha here," volunteer Tiana Dunn told Hawaii News Now.

For more information or to help, click here.

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