MAUNA LOA IS NO LONGER AT AN
"ADVISORY" ALERT LEVEL, BECAUSE
OF A DECREASE
IN SEISMIC ACTIVITY .. SO IT'S
BACK DOWN TO
"NORMAL."
BUT... BECAUSE OF THE DANGER
WITH KILAUEA,
MOST OF HAWAII VOLCANOES
NATIONAL
PARK REMAINS CLOSED.
HOWARD DASHEFSKY IS ON THE BIG
ISLAND WITH
AN UPDATE .. HOWARD?
HOWARD:
WELL TODAY MARISA IT SIX WEEKS
SINCE THE
PARK CLOSED. SEVEN WEEKS SINCE
THE
ERUPTIONS STARTED.
THE QUESTION MANY HAVE IS...
WHEN OR IF
IT'LL OPEN AGAIN.
nat sound ranger speaking at
discovery center
For visitors who had hoped to
see and learn about the volcano,
this is now the next best thing.
Daily discussions
at the Discovery center in
downtown Hilo.
Many miles and in some ways
light years away from this.
If you've ever been to Hawaii
volcanoes national Park you
know what an amazing place it
is.
An active volcano ... at arms
length.
remember Halemaumau crater.
Before the lava disappeared and
the most recent eruption
started.
And this is what it looks like
now. What was once a 12
acre lava lake in the middle of
the crater has now grown
getting larger every
single day.
JESSICA FERRACANE: vents that
used to house large lava lake is
1,000 ft
deep in some places and changing
in a daily basis.
The park has now been closed for
6 weeks. The
popular jaggar museum is all but
deserted.
And the observation deck that
overlooks the crater is
covered in ash, riddled with
cracks, and is structurally
unsound.
For those who have walked the
grounds of the National
Park for decades, and shared it
with friends and
complete strangers ... there is
an understanding that this
is what volcanoes do. But
they'll also tell you ... it's
an emotional time.
JESSICA: strong emotional
connection. jaggar museum
was 1927.. ranger program..
adjacent.. to go in there and
remove artifacts.. seismic ..
moon rock.. emotional connection
yes sense of loss cause we don't
return .it's
slipping into caldera. so is
HVO. With upwards of 500
earthquakes almost every
day rattling the ground and the
nerves of those close by,
it's anyone's guess when or even
if this park will ever
reopen.
And Even if Mother Nature were
to turn off the switch
tomorrow... it would still be
many months at the earliest
before this section of the park
could reopen.
it'll still take time to assess.
like thurston lava tube or
exploring roads to make sure
they're passable. take time to
assess and repair and clean
up and invite people back in
All the more reason so many
people share a deep sense
of gratitude for being able to
share something that was more
than just an incredible
spectacle. But a true gift of
we've been spoiled at kilauea.
we've had a drive
thru volcano. park .. walkout ..
or stroller and chair and
observe the lava lake. so it's
been a privilege so it's too bad
that part of the eruption is
over
HOWARD:
A REMINDER.. THEY HAVE A
DISCOVERY CENTER
OPEN IN HILO.
THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF THE KAHUKU
PORTION OF THE PARK REMAINS
OPEN.
BACK TO YOU MARISA.