Cars drive down Saddle Road as Mauna Loa erupts near Hilo, Hawaii. Photo / Marco Garcia, AP
Cars drive down Saddle Road as Mauna Loa erupts near Hilo, Hawaii. Photo / Marco Garcia, AP
Hawaii’s largest volcano has began erupting this weekend for the first time in 40 years, raising concerns for the safety of locals and travellers to Volcanoes National Park.
This Sunday there were reports of lava being spewed 60 metres into the air from the crater of Mauna Loa on the big island of Hawaii.
As the largest volcano, making up roughly half the island, the eruptions have been dramatic to observe but, for now, lava is not threatening any homes or communities.
NHawaiian Tourism is telling visitors that there is no need to change plans and no evacuation orders have been issued at this stage.
“Travel to the other islands – Kaua’i, O’ahu, Maui, Moloka’i and Lāna’i – is unaffected by the eruption,” they say.
There is currently a notice to airlines flying into the Island’s airports regarding the eruptions but services continue undisturbed into Honolulu and Hawaii’s other major ports of arrival.
There is no need for Kiwis to change their travel plans at the moment, says Hawaii Tourism.
“While the eruption has caused Mauna Loa’s Aviation Colour Code to be elevated to red – which means a hazardous eruption is imminent, underway or suspected – Hawai’i Island’s two major airports in Hilo and Kona are currently open and the eruption is not expected to affect their ability to handle the regularly scheduled flights that arrive and depart each day.”
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Civil Defense are monitoring the situation and communities below the caldera have emergency evacuation procedures should the lava spread. Any tourists should make themselves familiar with these plans.
Hawaii's Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, began spewing ash and debris from its summit, prompting civil defense officials to warn residents. Photo / US Geological Survey
Hawaiian tourism advises visitors staying in short-term rentals and BnBs to contact their hosts for more information, however the main resort areas - Kailua-Kona, the Kohala Coast, and Hilo - are not immediately at risk.
Difficulty Breathing
Travellers suffering from asthma, emphysema or other breathing problems are told to “take precautions to avoid the ash” and stay indoors depending on conditions and volcanic fog levels.
Composite volcanoes are known to emit ash which can affect jet engines, causing airspace to be shut and divert planes. However Mauna Loa is not emitting a significant amount of ash to threaten Hawiian flights.
In 1989, Alaska’s Redoubt Volcano, another composite volcano, belched a 12km cloud of ash that clogged all four engines of a KLM 747 jet. The plane fell almost 4 kilometres before recovering engine power and landing without injury to the 245 people aboard.
In more recent memory the Icelandic Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted in April 2010, creating an ash cloud that closed most of European airspace.
The eruption has become a spectator sport on Hawaii's Big Island. Photo / Marco Garcia, AP
WHAT HAZARDS ARE POSED BY MAUNA LOA’S ERUPTION?
-Lava: Molten rock could cover houses, farms or neighbourhoods, depending on where it flows. But lava from the northeast rift zone will likely take at least a week to reach populated areas, allowing people time to evacuate if needed.
-Volcanic gas: Mauna Loa is releasing volcanic gases, mostly sulphur dioxide. The gases are present in their highest concentrations in the immediate area around the summit crater or vents. But they also combine with other particles to form vog (volcanic fog), which can spread across the Big Island and even waft over to the state’s other islands.
Vog can give healthy people burning eyes, headaches and sore throats. It can send those with asthma or other respiratory problems to the hospital.
-Glass particles: When hot lava erupts from a fissure and rapidly cools, it forms glass particles named “Pele’s hair” and “Pele’s tears” after the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes.
The particles tend not to travel far from volcanic vents — maybe only a few hundred yards or a mile — and won’t threaten many people, said Aaron Pietruszka, an associate specialist at the University of Hawaii’s Department of Earth Sciences.
“It just literally looks like hair strands. And that’s where the fluid lava is stretched by the wind to make long, thin strands,” said Pietruszka.
The glass bits — as short as a few millimetres or as long as a few inches — can be sharp.
“You wouldn’t want to be digging your hands in it because you could get a cut,” Pietruszka said.
An N95 or KF94 mask would protect against these glass particles but not against volcanic gas, said Dr. Libby Char, the director of the state Department of Health.
“Pele’s hair” specimens from Kilauea volcano’s eruption are visible at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
