Hawaii officials activated the state’s National Guard as lava from the Mauna Loa eruption engulfed a critical highway.
Lava has been slowly flowing toward the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, known locally as Saddle Road, for several days.
The main road runs more than 50 miles across the island from west to east and serves as a crucial highway between Hilo and Kona.
Members of the National Guard were called in to help with traffic control Monday, a week after the volcano began spewing lava fountains for the first time in nearly four decades.
“Gov. David Ige and Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara activated 20 Hawaii National Guard soldiers on Monday, placing them on active duty to assist Hawaii County in traffic control and other roles in the Mauna Loa eruption,” Hawaii said. This was reported by the Department of Emergency Situations.
As of Monday, the lava was about 2.16 miles from the highway, according to the US Geological Survey. The lava was moving at about 25 feet per hour, slower than the 40 feet per hour over the weekend.
According to the Department of Defense, the National Guard is expected to be active for 30 days, but the time frame may change as the situation changes. Members were previously called to respond to Kilauea eruptions in 2014 and 2018.
Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, erupted for the first time in nearly four decades on Nov. 27, while nearby Kilauea has been erupting for the past year.
The unique site is expected to “draw a flood of visitors to the national park hoping to see two rare eruptions from the Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes.” said in a post on Facebook.
The volcano erupted on November 27, for the first time in nearly four decades.
Lava began to flow slowly toward the Daniel K. Inouye Highway.
The National Guard has been called in to assist with traffic control over the Mauna Lua eruption.
Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, is located on the Big Island of Hawaii.
The National Guard expects to be active for 30 days to deal with the situation.
The two volcanoes are 21 miles apart and have also erupted at the same time in 1984 — at the same time Mauna Loa erupted for the last time.
Neither eruption poses a threat to nearby homes, but the volcanoes could affect air quality, officials said.
All of the Daniel K. Inouye Freeway is now open, but adjacent areas are closed and off limits to the public, Hawai’i County Mayor Mitch Roth said Monday.
“Because the lava is where it is, we are confident that the lava will not affect any residential areas,” Roth said at a press conference on Monday. “There are a lot of (moving) parts. How fast is he moving? How close it comes to the highway. How long will it take if the risks we see are there.
The US Geological Survey does not know exactly how the eruption will affect the population.
Mauna Loa eruption may affect air quality in Hawaii.
Some areas near the highway are closed to the public.
Otlov has not yet posed a threat to nearby homes.
The highway remains open even with the eruption.
The U.S. Geological Survey echoed that sentiment, noting that “many variables are at play,” making it difficult to determine how the lava flow will affect the public.
“The timing of the flow surge is expected to vary from a few hours to a few days, making it difficult to predict when or if the flow will affect the Daniel K. Inouye Highway,” the geological survey said.
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