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<br /> <br />Wil Okabe <br /> <br />Managing Director <br /> <br /> <br />Harry Kim <br />Mayor <br /> <br />Barbara J. Kossow <br /> Deputy Managing Director <br /> <br />County of Hawai‘i <br />Office of the Mayor <br />25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603  Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720  (808) 961-8211  Fax (808) 961-6553 <br />KONA: 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Hwy., Bldg C  Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i 96740 <br />(808) 323-4444  Fax (808) 323-4440 <br /> <br />August 5, 2018 <br /> <br />NEWS RELEASE <br /> <br />Lava Flow from Fissure 8 in Lower East Rift Zone is Greatly Diminished <br /> <br />According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the flow from Fissure 8 in the Lower <br />East Rift Zone has diminished dramatically, with not much magma. Meanwhile, the <br />summit of Halema’uma’u is very quiet, and has slowed deflating, with few if any felt <br />quakes. The last collapse event at the summit was noon on Thursday. <br /> <br />Please be aware that the hazards associated with the eruption that began May 3 <br />remain; there is still active lava in the channel going into the ocean. There was also a <br />significant increase in gas emissions from Pu’u ‘O’o on Friday. <br /> <br />“It could be weeks or months before we feel comfortable calling the eruption and the <br />summit collapse over, said Tina Neal, the scientist-in-charge at HVO. <br />She noted that it is typical for eruptions to wax and wane. <br /> <br />Neal suggested that people read reports on hazard assessments on the HVO website, <br />specifically regarding when and how eruptions end, at <br />https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/file_mngr/file-184/Summit%20scenarios_7-5-18.pdf <br /> <br />Meanwhile, work on an emergency bypass road adjacent to Highway 11 in Volcano is <br />ongoing. The tremors at the Halema’uma’u summit have destabilized Highway 11, the <br />only artery connecting Ka’u to the rest of the island. <br /> <br />The County is cooperating with Federal and State agencies on the construction of the <br />two-mile bypass. There is no precise time frame on when the bypass road will be <br />completed, but the County recognizes the urgency of the situation as the new school <br />year starts this week. <br /> <br />County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. <br />