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Location: Southernmost tip of the southernmost island in the southernmost state
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Or maybe we do as in most areas with a certain amount of risk from natural disasters; we allow people to build where they want and let them assume the risk.
When Texas experienced a flood this year and saw over 100,000 homes damaged or destroyed, I doubt there was much talk of disallowing residents to rebuild or make them build portable houses.
Even if all of Puna were to be wiped out it wouldn't be nearly the loss we see from a moderate hurricane making landfall on the mainland.
A bit of perspective. Our losses from lava flows are tragic and awe-inspiring, but they are not huge losses in number, dollars or scope.
But the area is so large that any one given spot (except a few unlucky ones) only seems to get hit once in a human lifetime. People see a mature forest (albezias grow quickly, so it is deceptive) and cheap land, so they go there. I think everyone knows it's a gamble.
It seems to be a problem without a solution other than to persevere and relocate when burned out. In any case, it provides a convenient place for meth labs to operate away from "everyone" else.
I'm glad is isn't my problem. Kona-side is more my style!!
Location: Southernmost tip of the southernmost island in the southernmost state
982 posts, read 1,161,875 times
Reputation: 1652
Quote:
Originally Posted by Open-D
It seems to be a problem without a solution other than to persevere and relocate when burned out. In any case, it provides a convenient place for meth labs to operate away from "everyone" else.
I'm glad is isn't my problem. Kona-side is more my style!!
Well a good portion of the Kona side is lava zone 2, so no real guarantee it won't see an eruption someday too.
Or maybe we do as in most areas with a certain amount of risk from natural disasters; we allow people to build where they want and let them assume the risk.
When Texas experienced a flood this year and saw over 100,000 homes damaged or destroyed
I think it was closer to 200,000 homes.
Regardless, the population in the metro Houston area is a bit more than the BI.
The vast majority of those flooded houses had insurance. Practically everyone moved back home.
When the flood subsided you still had most infrastructure in place.
I doubt most people in Puna truly understood the risks. And when lava covers the surrounding area you are basically wiped out with no hope of recovery. It’s not like you move back in after a flood.
True, but I think the risks are much reduced, but I could be wrong!!!
Actually, because of the steeper hillsides on that side, if the volcano does blow on the Kona side, I've heard you've got about twenty minutes to get out of the way. Although, maybe it would start out slower with old lava like this flow did.
Have you noticed the difference in the lava at the beginning and the current lava that is flowing in rivers down to the ocean? The scientific sorts who are tracking the lava say the original lava was much older - from the '50s eruptions! Now it's fresher lava and seems much more liquid and mobile.
It seems to be a problem without a solution other than to persevere and relocate when burned out. In any case, it provides a convenient place for meth labs to operate away from "everyone" else.
I'm glad is isn't my problem. Kona-side is more my style!!
In addition to much of Kona side from town to the south being in hazard zone number 2, they're also the unfortunate recipient of most of the vog generated from Kilauea eruptions. Last hour I checked, this site is giving Ocean View and Kona unhealthy scores for particulate matter while Hilo is just fine. Vog Measurement and Prediction (VMAP) | Current SO2/SO4 Measurements
The lava zones are based on expected frequency of flows, so the risks aren't reduced compared to Puna zone 2 in the mind of the geologists who put together the maps. And as Hotzcatz mentioned, residents wouldn't have the luxury of staying home and waiting to see how things developed there because the lava could move so rapidly on those steep slopes.
Actually, because of the steeper hillsides on that side, if the volcano does blow on the Kona side, I've heard you've got about twenty minutes to get out of the way. Although, maybe it would start out slower with old lava like this flow did.
Have you noticed the difference in the lava at the beginning and the current lava that is flowing in rivers down to the ocean? The scientific sorts who are tracking the lava say the original lava was much older - from the '50s eruptions! Now it's fresher lava and seems much more liquid and mobile.
I have indeed been following the eruption closely, and you are correct. It is the current assessment that the initial lava was leftover from the 1955 eruption and was, therefor, cooler and less fluid. Once the old stuff was pushed out, and the new stuff made it to the fissures, the real show began including the fountaining and flows that have reached the ocean.
There are also some potentially-serious issues at the caldera and Puʻu ʻŌʻō which "flushed". This allows groundwater to enter into the picture, which some potentially much-larger-scale implications. The worst would be a partial or total collapse of the magma chamber if it indeed empties. This would be HUGE, but is very unlikely to happen.
There is a much-more intensive coverage of this event over on Punaweb.org including links to USGS documents assessing the 1790 and 1924 eruptions which were more pyroclastic than magmatic in nature. Hawaiian volcanos are usually mostly relatively-sedate magma eruptions, but about 1% of the material deposited on the sides of Kilauea are from pyroclastic events (think Mt. St. Helens).
In addition to much of Kona side from town to the south being in hazard zone number 2, they're also the unfortunate recipient of most of the vog generated from Kilauea eruptions. Last hour I checked, this site is giving Ocean View and Kona unhealthy scores for particulate matter while Hilo is just fine. Vog Measurement and Prediction (VMAP) | Current SO2/SO4 Measurements
The lava zones are based on expected frequency of flows, so the risks aren't reduced compared to Puna zone 2 in the mind of the geologists who put together the maps. And as Hotzcatz mentioned, residents wouldn't have the luxury of staying home and waiting to see how things developed there because the lava could move so rapidly on those steep slopes.
Hualalai, the volcano which sends lava to KK, last erupted in 1800 or thereabouts.
Kilauea has erupted constantly since the early 1980s.
HUGE difference.
Mauna Loa hasn't repaved KK in the historical record that I am aware of as it is blocked by Hualalai. It (ML) is, however, well over-due for eruption.
Last edited by Open-D; 05-21-2018 at 11:57 AM..
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