No Danger (Yet)
In an update posted Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey said that “several” fissures and lava flows were active on Mauna Loa but that there was currently “no property at risk.”
Because volcanoes are unpredictable, there is still a chance that lava could begin flowing toward places where people live, including Hilo, the densest population center on the island, as the eruption continues. “There’s not a lot that can be done” if the lava moves towards Hilo, Phoenix said. (In 1935, the Army dropped 20 600-pound bombs on a lava flow headed toward the city in an attempt to stop it. Whether it worked is still unclear.)
“The good news is that even if these flows reach inhabited areas, people can outwalk the vast majority of lava flows,” Phoenix said. “We can see, a lot of the time, where the flows are headed and we can warn people.”
Correction 11/30/22 2:oo PM ET: This post has been updated to correct the spelling of the city of Hilo.
