Monster Kilauea Eruption Continues

KILAUEA VOLCANO ERUPTION- May 2018

The present Kilauea volcano eruption holds the world’s record for continuously erupting for over 35 years since 1983 with oozing lava, towering fountains and is still going strong.  Over the decades it has encroached upon many small towns and destroyed them partly or completely including Kalapana, a coastal town not far from where it is active at present in the Puna District of the east rift zone.

An apocalyptic lava eruption from the so-called Fissure # 8 of the recent Kilauea Volcano eruption is shown in the painting above.  The present lava flow was reported to be over a mile wide in some places has already traveled 9 miles downslope to the ocean.  In some places it rages like a huge river of molten fire cascading down a channel within the raised perch downslope to the ocean.

In late April, the summit crater of Kilauea Volcano and its offshoot vent Pu’u O’o began to rise and subside that alerted scientists of an impending major eruption.  In the past 2 months,  there have been over 12,000 earthquakes recorded from the summit area.  Except for 4 days this month of June, there have been earthquakes daily with the largest registering over 5.0 magnitude.  The one that set off the current ongoing eruption was a 6.9 on May 4, 2018  in the summit area.  There are already 24 distinct and active fissures categorized, at least three still active which includes #8.

Pressure building up underground with moving, molten lava broke through the 24 fissures along a linear path toward the ocean, spitting ugly black, huge piles of lava along 10 square miles.  And of these, Fissure #8 has risen up and has become the most active and volatile of the 24, with significant amounts of hot, molten lava, gushing out of the ground!  There has been no let up in the ferocious lava flow from this vent, now a huge spatter cone which grew like Pu’u O’o below, bursting with ash plumes and toxic gases, and spewing huge chunks of molten magma, and sulfuric gases and acid into the atmosphere and ocean, making it increasingly difficult to breathe in the Puna area, and this has been going on for over 6 weeks with no let up in sight.

This present volcanic activity is the most historic in its output of magma lava that has innundated several communities, destroyed over 600 homes, and displaced over 2000 people who are now homeless.  Agricultural farmland of papaya and other fruits, and orchid flowers have been totally devastated, along with the once beautiful ocean front resorts. The big black, ugly molten lava has also filled up Kapoho Bay, reconfiguring the land map of the Big Island of Hawaii forever.  Even the shape and form of Kilauea’s summit crater, Halema’uma’u and its lava lake have increased tremendously in width and depth, as well as the main vent, Pu’u O’o which is feeding the flow to the ocean.

This is my painting of Pu’u O’o  eruption of 1983.  The painting below it is the ash plume in the distance of Pu’u O’o just before it began its rampage through the Leilani Estates and surrounding communities in the Puna District of Kilauea’s east rift zone.

PU’U O’O- From fissure to volcanic spatter cone.

The Pu’u O’o vent was once a fissure of Kilauea volcano, then became a spatter cone that grew to immense proportions since 1983 and now is the powerful engine for the May 2018 eruption.  Coincidentally, Mauna Loa’s last eruption was in 1984 and then Kilauea Volcano has taken center stage and is the only volcano erupting at this time on the island.

The coastal town of Kalapana with its once famous Kalapana Black Sand Beach was destroyed in 1990, along with the historic fishing village.  Drgold and I visited the beautiful beach in the late 80’s.  Now it is gone and all that is left are acres of lava.

Here is my painting of the once beautiful pristine Black Sand Beach of Kalapana!

As a retired teacher who taught Hawaiian culture and geography in the schools, I have followed the daily developments of the present volcano eruption with great interest, awe, and dismay.  Tourism, in particular visits to the Hawaii Volcano National Park, was once a huge draw for the island’s economy.  Despite the park’s temporary closure for public safety and repairs, there is still a great deal to be enjoyed on the Big Island,

In conclusion, consider these facts that of the island’s total 4,000 sq. mi., only about 10 sq. mi. have been overrun by the present lava flows; this amounts to 1/4 of 1% or .25 of the Big Island.  The park area which includes the massive Mauna Loa and Kilauea Volcanoes is nearly the size of my island of O’ahu, where the state capital of Honolulu is located, 520 sq. mi. of park area vs our 598 sq. mi.  This is my spiel to let you know that we need the cruise ship passengers and air travelers to visit Hawaii State and the Hawaii Island!  Please spread the word!

Thank you and God bless the people on the Big Island!

Related post:  May 6, 2018  ‘The Beginning of Sorrows’ https://heulu.wordpress.com

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THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS

. . . earthquakes, in divers places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows.  (Mt 24:7b-8)

And there shall be signs. . .the sea and the waves roaring;  (Luke 21:25)

KĪLAUEA VOLCANO RUMBLING AND ON THE MOVE AGAIN!

As I sat at my living room table in Honolulu, it began to shake gently and the flowers and leaves in the pot on the table were shaking, too!  It was the 3rd and largest earthquake, a 6.9 yesterday felt throughout the islands, but most severely on the Big Island of Hawaii where a 5.0 and 5.6 of the previous days triggered an eruption from Kilauea volcano.  Kilauea is the longest continuously erupting volcano in the world since 1983, over 30 years, and while lava often flows harmlessly to the sea, it is again damaging and destroying communities as it erupts from the Pu’u O’o vent and fissures exacerbated by cracks in the ground from the hundreds of earthquakes in recent days.

The first two photos are my paintings of Kilauea eruptions I did a year apart in 2016 and 2017; the third is the plume of ash after the 5.0 earthquake just before the present eruption took place and began to advance downward along the east rift zone; in the last photo lava moves along a road into the Leilani Estates, where there were many beautiful homes.

It is a most fearful sight to behold Mother Nature at work, though most locals believe it is the awesome power of Madame Pele, the fire goddess who resides in the Halema’uma’u Crater at the summit of Kilauea Volcano.  At this moment 1700 displaced people have fled their homes in her path and are in shelters, not knowing if their homes are damaged or destroyed.  A mandatory evacuation prohibits them from returning and the toxic sulphuric gases in the air prevent them from doing so.  The latest report now shows over 30 homes have been destroyed (edited May 6, 2018).

AMBAE ISLAND IN SOUTH PACIFIC- ANOTHER VOLCANO THREATENS LIFE AND PROPERTY

Evacuation of an entire island!  A catastrophic volcano threat is unfolding that is displacing 10,000 islanders on Ambae Island, one of the islands in Vanuatu in the South Pacific.  The government there is moving them to two neighboring islands.  Thick volcanic ash has destroyed many homes and property.

Mt Io, Miyazaki Prefecture, JAPAN–  Japan Meterological reported that Mt Io, an active volcano, spewed its first plume of ash in 250 years.  It is on alert status for possible further activity and the area remains in danger status.

EVACUATIONS FROM RECENT FLOODS IN HAWAII

HAWAII Gov. David Ige has requested federal disaster aid for property damage and destruction following an April cataclysmic storm that brought flooding and landslides affecting 532 homes on Kauai and Oahu. The damage was assessed at $20 million.  Extensive roadwork on Kauai alone for repairs on a main artery which cut off communities from the rest of the island will cost an additional $35 million.  Photos below show landslides and extensive damage and destruction from record-breaking rains and flash flooding, rescues of people and animals, helicopter airlifts of people and supplies.  Oahu suffered much flooding of highways and homes and farms.

The last photo shows one of many bison who was rescued in the ocean when his herd from a ranch on Kauai panicked and some were swept away by flood waters.

SHORE EROSION IN HAWAII

The first photo is our shrinking beach- the world famous Waikiki Beach; the next two show how ocean currents and rising sea levels have eaten away the shoreline on Oahu; the last is erosion along a Maui island resort’s beach front.

Not surprisingly in my research I found out that there is shore erosion going on around the world.  Please check out ‘SHORE EROSION’ on my TAB BAR for links on stories and photos of shore erosion in Hawaii.

ANOTHER KIND OF EVACUATION-  HOMELESS IN HAWAII

Another topic that distresses me is the growing homeless and houseless population on our island.  There is limited affordable housing for sale or rent for those who live at near poverty to lower middle income levels.  Among the homeless are houseless families whose heads of the households have jobs, but are unable to afford outrageously high rentals or buy ‘affordable’ homes.

Hawaii has the largest homeless population per capita in the U.S. with most living on the island of O’ahu where the capital of Honolulu is located.  Authorities have wrung their hands over how to handle ‘sweeping’ these individuals and families from one site to another.  Individuals and groups of people move from parks to sidewalks and back to parks or store fronts and businesses areas. Finally, this week the legislature approved funds in the millions of dollars that will be required to provide land and resources to help the homeless.  The areas being planned for them will be called ‘ohana’ or ‘family zones’ that will provide shelter, toilet and shower facilities, access to food, health and social services, and will accommodate their many pets.  I hope that a good portion of the money allotted for these programs doesn’t  go to the ‘experts’ who will drag out their planning sessions and delay the project from becoming a reality in the near future.

What this post has described are some signs of the end times that precede the return of the Lord,  a time of God’s dealing with the hearts of people and judging the earth as He did in the days of Noah.  It is time to:

‘Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteousness man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’  (Isaiah 55:6-7)

 

Related link:  https://artwithaloha.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/volcano-painting-eruption-on-Hawaii-island/