Hawaii Islands Hit by a Major Earthquake Following the Eruption of Mt Kilauea, Residents Told to Evacuate

A strong earthquake had hit the Hawaiian Island on Friday after the eruption of the active volcano Mt. Kilauea. The earthquake was of a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale and it is one of the strongest to hit Hawaii since 1975. There were about a 119 earthquakes in a day. The quake was so strong that it shook homes and took out the power.

Immediately after the earthquake, the power was lost and about 14,000 clients of the Hawaii Electric Light were without power.

 

Spokeswoman Rhea Lee-Moku said they were able to restore power to half of its customers however the sulfur in the air was preventing them from restoring the power in certain areas. She said, "When you are exposed to that level of SO2 in the Leilani Estates area you need more protection than we have available to us".

 

Due to the eruption, the residents were already told to evacuate the area as the volcano was spewing lava and molten rock and high levels of sulfur. There were no signs of it stopping. 

 

Five vents opened and the lava has destroyed a home and many other structures. The vents are quite far away from the active volcano, which is quite surprising. People from two areas Leilani estates and Lanipuna Gardens have been told to evacuate to avoid any loss of lives. Hundreds have already evacuated and moved to temporary shelters. The mayor of Hawaii County, Harry Kim has promised support to all residents including those who have to go back to their houses to bring back important belongings. People had to evacuate as the lava coming out of the vents were setting trees on fire and several fissures and cracks on the ground were emitting sulfur dioxide which is very harmful.

 

Meanwhile, there were several more eruptions splurting lava upto 30m (100ft) high causing destruction of homes and fissures on the streets. The Civil Defense Agency told all the residents to evacuate as the levels of sulfur dioxide is in the air is at deadly levels and it would become difficult for the rescue team to help anyone who is caught up in it. The US Geological Survey (USGS) has informed that there may be more eruptions in the area. Community centers have been set up to provide shelter for evacuees.

 

Mt.Kilauea is known as one of the world's most active volcanoes. Earlier this week, Puu Oo, a volcanic crater vent collapsed which resulted in lava flowing down the mountain into residential areas. This eruption gave rise to a series of earthquakes. The people had been warned earlier to be prepared to evacuate as there may be no time.

A spokesperson for the county of Hawaii's Mayor, Janet Snyder, said "It is quite toxic and in fact, even our first responders find it too hazardous at this time to go back into the sub-divisions without heavy, protective equipment," she said.