Hawaii Volcano Eruption: 5 homes destroyed, toxic gas threatens residents

At least five houses were destroyed by the eruption of the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Photo: Twitter / @ USGSVolcanoes

Residents of the area are still threatened by magma and sulfur dioxide, which the volcano emits into the air in large quantities, writes CNN.

The eruption led to the evacuation of hundreds of people from their homes, which began on May 3. This was followed on May 4 by a magnitude 6,9 earthquake, the strongest to hit the island since 1975.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), at least eight volcanic holes have opened in Leylani Estates as a result of earthquakes.

Photo: Twitter / @ USGSVolcanoes

An evacuation order was issued for all 1700 residents of Leilani Estates.

Volcanic holes are still opening.

“The area continues to be unstable with active volcanic vents and associated earthquake and toxic gas hazards,” the Hawaii Civil Defense Agency said in a statement.

The photo, published by the USGS, shows a huge amount of molten lava emerging from the seventh hole in Leilani Estates, and a new volcanic hole formed on one of the roads in the region.

Twitter screenshot

Twitter screenshot

Experts expect to continue the eruption. According to them, the decision to evacuate the entire area was correct, but, unfortunately, some people continue to remain in the region and they need to be urgently taken away from there because of the high level of sulfur dioxide in the air.

Rescuers are developing a plan that will allow residents to return to their homes for a short time in order to take extra things, but it is not yet clear whether this will allow the conditions.

At the same time, the National Park of Volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands told 5 in May that “if volcanic and seismic activity remains at the current level,” some areas of the park can resume work on Sunday afternoon. However, experts can not yet predict how the volcano will behave.

Twitter screenshot

According to local residents, the evacuation was carried out very quickly - the police entered people's houses, giving them five minutes to take the essentials, and took them to safe areas of the island.

Neil Valentine and his family left their home on the evening of May 3, later he saw a video on social networks where the lava moved a few dozen meters from their home.

“It broke our hearts. My wife and I have been married for 26 years. It was almost our dream home that we had been looking after all this time. Realizing that we will no longer have this house, my wife cannot stop crying,” the man admitted.

Harry Kim, the mayor of Hawaii County, said the government would support residents who want to return to their homes to pick up some things.

Cracks in the rift zone of Kilauea volcano began to spew 3-4 lava in May. According to the federal agency for toxic substances, the levels of sulfur in the air in some areas are so high that they can pose a threat to people's lives.

Inhalation of large amounts of sulfur dioxide can lead to a burning sensation in the nose and throat and difficulty breathing. The Emergency Management Agency has stated that this toxic gas is the greatest threat to the elderly, children and people with respiratory diseases.

Rescuers suffered from gases, some of them suffer from headaches and breathing problems, but their lives are not threatened.

The governor of Hawaii, David Ige, activated the National Guard of the island state to assist in ongoing evacuations and address the effects of the eruption.

Kilauea is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. Now he is in his most active phase. Its height is 1247 m above sea level, the base goes to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean to a depth of about 5 km. The last major eruption of this volcano occurred in 2014 year.

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