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KGMB9 Evening Team
Big Island Officials Prepare for Kilauea Danger Print E-mail
Written by Tina Chau - tchau@kgmb9.com   
March 26, 2008 10:24 PM

 
Standing safely upwind of the week-old plume, Mayor Harry Kim says sulphur dioxide or SO2 is already causing breathing problems for some Big Island residents and scientists say the billowing fumes from Halema'uma'u crater are a growing danger.

"The ten-fold increase of SO2 at the summit makes the total output for the volcano double basically," said Jeff Sutton, a gas geochemist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, "and the increased hazard from this emission source is, it's closer to where people live and breath and visit than Pu'u 'O'o is."

Experts say no one can know exactly what will happen next so they're preparing for the worst. Tradewinds have been pushing the toxic cloud away from the nearest towns but a wind shift could force evacuations.

"We know from all our experiences that if there are people that want to violate the evacuation orders and hide and sneak and whatever reason, you know, that's gonna happen, and you hope it doesn't but it does," said Mayor Kim.

The gas plume began with an explosion inside the crater last Wednesday. Then on Sunday it started shooting out bits of lava. There were rocks bigger than beachballs and then there was dust, covering any vehicles that came too close. Even the experts say they are prepared to leave if conditions get too dangerous.

"We have a plan to evacuate all non-essential personnel," said Jim Kauahikaua, the scientist in charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. "I think it's still in the general public's best interest if we continue our monitoring. Most of our monitoring can be done off-site as long as a computer networks stay up."


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Last Updated ( March 26, 2008 10:24 PM )
 

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