At least 35 structures have been destroyed after the Kilauea volcano erupted on Hawaii’s Big Island last week, Hawaii Civil Defense said Monday.
Lava and hazardous fumes are still spewing, officials said, four days after the volcano erupted.
[Previous story, published at 10:32 a.m. ET]
Hawaiian authorities are urging sightseers to stay away as Leilani Estates residents return to check on their neighborhood, which is threatened by lava and toxic gases emerging from fissures in the subdivision.
Big Island’s Kilauea volcano erupted Thursday, spewing molten rock and high levels of sulfur dioxide.
The eruption was followed by a 6.9-magnitude earthquake Friday.
As of Sunday, 10 fissures had opened and 26 homes had been destroyed. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said that active venting of lava and hazardous fumes continued.
The Kilauea volcano has been erupting almost continuously since 1983, according to the US Geological Survey. Activity along the East Rift Zone has shifted down and then back up the rift, said CNN meteorologist Michael Guy. Each one of the episodes that has occurred in this 35-year period has lasted months to years, so there’s no definitive way to predict how the volcanic activity will last, Guy said.
Residents return briefly
Sunday evening, Civil Defense said Leilani residents would be able to check on their properties until further notice between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. local time, with authorities on the scene determining which areas were safe to enter.
“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,” Civil Defense said, warning that police had established a policy of zero tolerance towards looting or vandalism.
“Under Emergency Provisions, any looting or vandalism will be treated as a felony,” the statement said.
Volcanic gases at Lanipuna Gardens meant residents did not have access to that neighborhood, it said.
Dangerous volcanic gases
The Hawaii Department of Health has warned consumers that no masks sold to the general public in stores will protect against “the extremely dangerous volcanic gases” being released.
“The best way to protect yourself and your family from the extremely dangerous volcanic gases is to leave the immediate area of the volcano defined by the police and fire department,” it said.
Uncertainty
Corey Hale is one of the residents staying at the Pahoa Community Center. She was originally staying with a friend, but later chose to camp out in the parking lot.
“I wanted to be around a lot of people,” Hale said. “It just felt better.” Volunteers there have kept evacuees safe, well-fed and have plenty of hot coffee ready in the mornings.
Still, Hale wishes she’d been able to get more things from her home in Lanipuna Gardens before she left, like a compass that belonged to her great-grandfather, and other family heirlooms.
“At this point, I’ve got what I’ve got on my back,” she said. “I didn’t realize until this morning, I’ve got one pair of shoes.”
Meantime, Leilani resident Shirley Doctor was able to return briefly to her house of 38 years Sunday.
“I came home to get my dogs, that was the most important thing. My dogs and my pig … Everything else is just material,” Doctor said.
He didn’t know what would become of his house, one he built with his own hands.
“Now it’s trying to figure out what the future brings. … My work. My job. Am I going to have to move to somewhere else on the island?”
“I’d have to start over at age 56,” Gebbie said. “That’s concerning.”
What’s important
Jordan Sonner has been staying with a friend since she fled her home right outside Leilani Estates.
When Sonner bought her property in 2016, she knew the neighborhood sat in the shadow of the Kilauea volcano.
She was also aware that one day the volcano could erupt, Sonner said, and lava could overtake the area. But she was more excited about her home and being a first-time homeowner.
“At the time, I understood it as a possibility,” she said. But she never thought it would be a reality.
Sonner was at work this week when she heard that lava had erupted in her neighborhood.
“It was a moment of panic,” she said, “because the only thing I knew was, ‘lava in Leilani.'”
This time she was ready. She had bags packed with her clothes, important documents and whatever her dogs would need. The only other item she took was a chain necklace that belonged to her late father.
“I’ve always said that’s the only thing I would run back into a burning building for, barring people and animals,” she said. “There wasn’t anything that important.”
CNN’s Steve Almasy and Dakin Andone contributed to this report.
Source : Nbcnewyork