2018-05-09 Gov Ige Request for Presidential Disaster Declaration and Application

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The Honorable Donald J. Trump May 9, 2018 Page 3 of 4 poisonous gas levels. It is unknown exactly how many residents did not heed the evacuation order and remain in the subdivisions. There are only three major roadways in this area, all of which are threatened by the current outbreak. If one of these roadways is cut off by lava, communities may be isolated or forced to use alternate routes that will add hours to their drive times. In the worst case scenario, a significant area of the Puna District, which includes 6,000 residents, may become isolated. This figure does not include the large numbers of squatters and unofficial residents living in the area. Cracks have been reported on Highway 130. If Highway 130 is closed to normal vehicular traffic, only two gravel roads are available for evacuation, Railroad Avenue or Government Beach Access Road, which will add over an hour each way to residents' travel time. Another potential evacuation route, Chain of Craters Road, is currently blocked by lava rock from a previous eruption and approximately one mile would need to be cleared before it can be used. Even if Chain of Craters Road is reopened, travel time for residents will increase by an average of two hours each way. Lower Puna is an area of high poverty and low economic opportunity. A combination of inadequate infrastructure, geographic size, and a limited economic base has supported a growing population with entrenched poverty. All communities impacted by this event meet FEMA's definition of small impoverished communities. Each community: consists of fewer than 3,000 people; is economically disadvantaged, with residents having an annual per capita income less than 80% of the national per capita income; and has an unemployment rate that exceeds the national unemployment rate by 1 percentage point or more. Additionally, the area has not fully recovered from the two presidentially declared disasters in 2014: Tropical Storm Iselle (DR -4194) and the Pu`u 'O`o lava flow (DR -4201). Current seismic activity and deformation are consistent with continued accumulation of magma within the rift zone. The path of the lava intrusion is southeastward from the Pu`u `O'6 vent. Additional fissure outbreaks producing spatter and lava flows are likely. Locations cannot be forecast with certainty, but new outbreaks thus far have been preceded by ground cracking, then strong steam and volcanic gas release. Areas uprift and downrift of the current fissure zone are the most likely to see further outbreaks. As more fissures open, the risk of exposure to SO2, H2S, HF, and H2SO4 increases. Toxic gas exposure increases the need to evacuate additional neighborhoods and possibly conduct search and rescue operations. Should a large-scale evacuation be required, county and state resources would quickly become overwhelmed. A mass evacuation of the lower Puna District would be beyond our collective capabilities. Direct federal assistance would be required to support evacuations, mass care, and long-term housing.