2018-05-02 Agencies Prepare for Possible Eruption in Lower Puna Area -- press release -- adds HVO info

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Wil Okabe Managing Director Harry Kim Mayor Barbara J. Kossow Deputy Managing Director County of Hawai‘i Office of the Mayor 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603  Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720  (808) 961-8211  Fax (808) 961-6553 KONA: 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Hwy., Bldg C  Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i 96740 (808) 323-4444  Fax (808) 323-4440 May 2, 2018 NEWS RELEASE Agencies Prepare for Possible Eruption amid Continuous Earthquakes in East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano County, State and Federal agencies are preparing for a possible eruption amid continuous earthquakes along the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano. The preparations include the identification of shelters, mobilization of police and other security personnel to ensure residents’ safety, and road crews to ensure access to evacuation routes. Residents in the lower Puna area should keep themselves informed about the situation, and be prepared to evacuate. “Should an eruption occur, residents along the East Rift Zone may have little warning. Residents in that area should be prepared to evacuate,” said Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno. The County will keep the community informed about the situation, and stands ready to ensure the safety and security of its residents, he said. “All agencies have been alerted about the possibility of an eruption,” Magno said. “The risk areas and possible hazards are being identified, and shelters have been identified.” According to a Civil Defense briefing early Tuesday, a magma dike, or pathway of rising magma, is making its way down to the lower Puna area past Highway 130. An eruption may take place anywhere from PuōŌʻu ʻʻ to beyond Kapoho to the east. Swarms of earthquakes, of eight to 10 tremors per hour, are being felt in the area, which could precede an eruption, said U.S.G.S. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory research geophysicist Jim Kauahikaua. Kauahikaua said that the current seismic activity is similar to what preceded an eruption of Kīlauea Volcano in the lower Puna district in 1955. During that eruption which started in February 1955, at least 24 separate volcanic vents opened up and down the volcano’s East Rift Zone, with lava flows covering about 3,900 acres of land. Coastal communities from Kalapana to Kapoho were evacuated, and County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.