natsound of blast
JOE:
AN EXPLOSIVE ERUPTION THIS
MORNING AT KILAUEA SUMMIT...
AND ALTHOUGH SHORT-LIVED,
IT DID
GENERATE AN ASH PLUME AS HIGH AS
30-THOUSAND FEET.
THE CLOUD DRIFTED
NORTHEAST..BRINGING
LIGHT ASHFALL TO THE AREAS
IMMEDIATLEY Y AUOUND THE KILAUEA
SUMMIT.
JOE:
WE HAVE SEVERAL REPORTS
TONIGHT...
JENN BONEZA TALKS ABOUT THE
IMPACTS TODAY'S EXPLOSION AND
ASHFALL HAS HAD ON THE
COMMUNITY.
WE BEGIN WITH MARISA YAMANE WHO
JOINS US WITH THE LATEST...
AND TALKS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS
NEXT. MARISA?
MARISA:
JOE, THE EXPLOSION EARLY THIS
MORNING
CERTAINLY WAS HUGE..AS HIGH AS
SOME AIRPLANES FLY.
THE GOOD NEWS - NO ONE WAS
INJURED.
It happened while most people
were still asleep - at 4:17 this
morning - the biggest explosion
so far over the past
two weeks.
Ash and steam as high as 30-
thousand feet.
Talmadge Magno:Fortunately it
was short lived and it went down
pretty quick and it didn't have
really a wide impact and like
Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory
has been saying
it's been fine stuff that's been
going to the communities but any
bigger debris sounds like it's
probably within the park
which is closed
There's been talk of the so
called "big one" happening.
According to scientists at the
USGS - Hawaiian Volcanoes
Observatory...there's not going
to be just ONE big one, but more
like a series of steam driven
explosions that
are bigger than anything we've
seen in the past 10 years.
The one this morning was
certainly one of the big ones.
Jim - USGS: these explosive..at
least based on
teh 1924 experience..the
explosion is a series of
explosions they don't build up
strenghty throughout teh period
Explosive steam eruptions happen
when the lava lake
drops below the water
table...the water comes into
water turns into
steam...and when rocks from the
crater wall fall down
blocking the opening ... you
have all that steam buildup -
and it eventually
erupts...sending steam, ash
and some rocks along with it.
JIM USGS: but the evidence is
difficult to come by at this
point and so it's like we can't
quite go into the crater and
dangerous to do so
we kinda waiting for the right
time to get that evidence
During the steam driven
explosions back in 1924, that
series lasted for two and a half
weeks.
JIM USGS: they sort of die off.
ove rthe last feww dawys
of 1924 the explosion sort of
died. the seismicity sort of
dorpped off
past week .. and what we
Wednesday coming out of
Halemaumau Crater - that was a
gas explosion.
Today - scientists believe it
was a steam explosion - much
more powerful.
And that's why Hawaii Volcanoes
National Park is closed.
Gov Ige: as you know the event
early this morning was a
little diff we had anticipated
that and we had prepared for
the event 22.31 it was
relatively short lived as you
know but clearly the ash and the
fallout is still w us
Yesterday, USGS scientists found
rocks that measured two feet
across in the parking lot a few
hundred yards from
Halemaumau.
JIM - USGS: we have a bit of
evidence in teh ashfall that
came out thsi morning we
gathered a number fo
samples of ash from diff places
and btw the ashfall is mitigated
by rain so the rain
kind of didn't allow hte ash to
go very far
we can't go into the caldera .
it's too dangeorus at this point
to see what else is out there
coz the larger pieces will only
fall around halemaumau crater
MARISA:
AND SO IF HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
... WE COULD SEE ANOTHER TWO
WEEKS OF STEAM
DRIVEN EXPLOSIONS. JOE
JOE:
MEANWHILE .. RESIDENTS ARE
DEALING WITH THE FALLOUT OF THE
STEAM EXPLOSION, AS WELL AS
THE ASH.
JENN BONEZA JOINS US NOW WITH
MORE ON THAT.
JENN?
JENN:
JOE..THE BIGGEST CONCERN
REGARDING THE EXPLOSIVE ERUPTION
EARLY THIS MORNING IS
THE ASHFALL.
WE DROVE FROM HILO TO PAHALA
SOME AREAS YOU COULD SEE A
HAZE HANGING IN THE AIR..AND IN
AREAS LIKE PAHALA, MORE SOUTH OF
VOLCANO NATIONAL PARK,
THE HAZE SEEMED THICKER AND IT
WAS
MORE DIFFICULT TO BREATHE.
What goes up must come down. The
volcanic ash that shot
30-thousand feet above
Halemaumau early this morning is
doing exactly that.
Residents were warning to
Jessica Ferracane from Hawaii
Volcanoes
National Park.
JESSICA FERRACANE, HAWAII
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK: the
difference is if you walk around
and you notice the top of fence
posts and
signs..there's a thin dusting of
ash
You may not see it, but other
areas are feeling a difference.
Mary Evangelista lives in Pahala
more than 20 miles south of
Volcano.
MARY EVANGELISTA, PAHALA
RESIDENT: At times I have a hard
time breathing...
MARY EVANGELISTA, PAHALA
RESIDENT: runny
nose. and my eyes burn
Affected residents got the help
they needed. 3M donated
18,000 n95 masks being passed
out in Volcano,
Pahala, Naalehu and Keaau.
JENN UPPER: there is a correct
way to where the n95
mask...remember n95 masks do not
protect against toxic gases
BOBBY BARBA, PAHALA RESIDENT: I
to get a mask
DEBORAH BROWN, PUBLIC HEALTH
NURSE: I think there's a level
of anxiety...happen
DEBORAH BROWN, PUBLIC HEALTH
NURSE: The air
JENN:
THE MASKS REALLY DO HELP. WE PUT
THEM ON IN
PAHALA AND WE COULD TELL A
DIFFERENCE.
THE FREE N95 MASK DISTRIBUTION
WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH 7 TONIGHT. FOR
A COMPLETE LIST OF LOCAITONS LOG
ON TO
KHON2 DOT COM.
FROM HAWAII ISLAND...BACK TO
YOU.
JUSTIN:
..ASHFALL POSSIBLE FROM KILAUEA
VOLCANO...
OCCASIONAL SMALL BURSTS OF
VOLCANIC ASH
MAY EMANATE FROM
HALEMAUMAU CRATER THESE BURSTS
MAY BE
BRIEF AND
COULD OCCUR AT MULTIPLE TIMES.
LOW LEVEL WINDS WOULD TEND TO
PUSH
ANY ASH CLOUDS TOWARD WEST AND
WEST-
SOUTHWEST. MOST ASH FALLOUT
WOULD REMAIN MAINLY OVER RURAL
AREAS AND HIGHWAY 11 TO THE
SOUTHWEST OF THE TOWN OF
VOLCANO.
A LARGE, BRIEF, SUDDEN EXPLOSIVE
ERUPTION OCCURRED AT
APPROXIMATELY 415 AM HST WITH
THE ASH CLOUD
BRIEFLY REACHING
NEARLY 30000 FEET. HAWAII
VOLCANO
OBSERVATORY REPORTS THAT
ADDITIONAL EXPLOSIONS ARE
POSSIBLE AT ANY TIME WITH LITTLE
WARNING. IF THIS OCCURS, AN
ASHFALL ADVISORY OR WARNING
WOULD
LIKELY BE NECESSARY.
WINDS ARE TRADE WINDS AND WILL
BEGIN TO STRENGTHEN INTO THE
WEEKEND... THE GOOD
NEWS IS THAT THE TRADES ARE BACK
INDEFINITELY...
MEANING AT LEAST FOR A WEEK...
MAYBE EVEN
MORE
THAT WILL KEEP MOST OF THE VOG
PLUME
OFFSHORE
AS FAR AS QUAKES.... STILL OVER
A HNDERED A DAY.... SWARMS NEAR
STRONGEST TODAY WAS A 3.6 NEAR
LEILANI ESTATES
JOE BACK TO YOU
JOE:
THE PAHOA POST OFFICE HAD TO
CLOSE TODAY
BECAUSE OF THE LATEST ERUPTION.
PAHOA HIGH AND
INTERMEDIATE... AND PAHOA
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WERE ALSO
CLOSED BECAUSE OF HIGH SULFUR
DIOXIDE
LEVELS..ALONG WITH FOUR CHARTER
SCHOOLS.
OPERATIONS ARE NORMAL AT HILO
AND KONA
AIRPORTS.
JOE:
OVER IN LEILANI
ESTATES...PHOTOS FROM
THE U-S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
SHOW...THE
CRACKS ON THE ROAD HAVE EXPANDED
SIGNFICANTLY OVER THE PAST DAY.
OFFICIALS SAY, THESE
CRACKS ARE CAUSED BY THE
UNDERLYING INTRUSION
OF MAGMA INTO THE LOWER EAST
RIFT ZONE.
AND FISSURE 21 JUST OPENED,
WHILE
SPATTERING CONTINUES FROM
SEVERAL OTHER FISSURES.
JOE:
STAY WITH KHON2 ON AIR AND
ONLINE AS WE
CONTINUE TO TRACK THIS VOLCANIC
EMERGENCY.
WE'LL BRING YOU THE LATEST
INFORMATION .