Scientists tracking new Kilauea lava flow (Honolulu, Volcano: vehicle, teacher, dating)

[OpenD]

It sure looks like it's on again...

USGS: Lava could reach Pahoa in 5 days

Lava could reach the Pahoa Marketplace and Highway 130 in five days if the flow maintains its speed and path, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists said.

The lava was less than a mile, about .9 miles upslope, from the shopping center and the intersection of Pahoa Village Road and Highway 130 as of Tuesday night.

The observatory issued a Volcanic Activity Notice Tuesday night, warning that the flow was moving at an average rate of 310 yards a day since Dec. 9 and that the steepest descent path leads to the Pahoa Marketplace.

Since the new lava flow broke off from the main flow near an underground crack system, the lava's advance rate has varied from about 110 yards a day to more than 490 yards in a day, averaging 330 yards a day.
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USGS: Lava could reach Pahoa in 5 days - Hawaii News - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

In addition, Malama's Gas N Go was shut down last night... the tanks are being pumped out and will be filled with firefightin foam to prevent explosions... pumps and other equipment are being removed to a secure location. The supermarket will close Thursday.

In addition, unexpectedly, the County will open a public lava viewing center:

Public access at the Pahoa Recycling and Transfer Station, where lava oozed through a fence and onto asphalt in November, will be allowed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The access will be limited to the transfer station and nearby Apaa Street, where lava crossed the road in October. Apaa is a paved, two-lane road and the county has created a parking and traffic plan in anticipation of an influx of visitors.

[OpenD]

Dec 16 HVO Map - showing the advance of lava north of the original flow, which stalled. If it continues at the pace it has been moving, it's expected to reach Pahoa Marketplace within 5 days.



HVO Maps

[McFrostyJ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddzU-rkzKF0

[R_Cowgirl]

Thanks OpenD for creating this. I just finished reading all 46 pages! Very informative and helpful. It's tough from the mainland to get the real scoop, since, as you say, the news vultures love to tell a good story. Hard to listen to some of the pronunciations, too.

I occasionally have such mixed feelings about all of this. Like others have said, there are such huge risks living in a lava flow area. It's not like all of these buildings were built before 1983!! Then again, no one ever really knows what Madam Pele is up to, and hurricanes, earthquakes, wind storms, heck, even a meteor could hit anywhere at any time.

Interesting being at the source of things. We get to watch how the entire island chain was formed. That was long before USGS, HVO and City Data Forum chatters could chronicle every move. We are far more fortunate than Pompeii and Krakatoa victims. They had minutes - maybe seconds to react to a volcano. This has been a leisurely (though stressful) stroll through the what-ifs and wherefores of an impending lava disaster.

Will be watching this page and HVO for updates over the next day or so. Praying that Pu'u O'o runs out of steam before hitting the marketplace.

As an aside, i know I'm a local girl cuz every time I saw "Pu'u O'o cone" I read that last word as "ko-nay" LOL

[McFrostyJ]

"Although its unclear when lava will cross Highway 130, the county will go ahead with the opening of Railroad Avenue at noon on Saturday. Mayor Billy Kenoi made the announcement during the weekly public meeting on the lava crisis in Pahoa. Railroad Ave is the first of three alternative access routes in and out of Puna. The opening on the road in advance of the severing of Highway 130 will give motorists time to learn the route."
http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/20...d-ave-saturday


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2eXnklMdlc

[R_Cowgirl]

I have a question - I can't tell from the satellite maps - are the areas I pointed to with the large blue arrows old lava flows? Or is that just a different kind of vegetation? It's interesting that the flows seem to follow what appears to be old "lava highways"... Maybe that's just the topography. hard to tell in the map.

[R_Cowgirl]

oops - just found a better map -- looks like it's just darker vegetation. My bad. As Roseanne Roseannadanna used to say, "Never mind!"

[McFrostyJ]

Long's Drugs closes, Railroad Ave. emergency route opens ahead o - Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdV1--WKm5Q

[67Cam]

McFrosty - any chance you can downsize thise pictures you posted above? I have high speed cable internet and when I open this thread it kills my computer trying to load them. Can't imagine how others without cable internet are managing. Thanks!

[OpenD]

67Cam, agreed. It blows me out, especially on my phone, and takes forever to load. Unfortunately the ability to edit a post only lasts 90 minutes. Looks like J just grabbed the wrong file this time. It's easy to do. The photo posting routine here is not the most intuitive.

There's a Preview Image on the HVO site, which appears normal size when posted here, and a Multimage File, which is much higher resolution, and is normally too big a file to post here without reducing the size below 4.77 MB. Then the image will get a banner that says "This image resized. Click on bar to expand"

I'll try to show you what I'm talking about in the following post...

The other problem in this case was including a YouTube and two graphic files in the same post, which takes longer to download. Splitting that up into two or three posts would make each load faster. Mahalo to McFrostyJ for posting updates here.