July 2, 2018 Lava Overflows Downslope
Pele continues to threaten homes in Kapoho Ag Lots and north of the Kapoho Beach Lots. We had no reports of houses burned by lava overnight, but many rivulets of lava were threatening the Ag Lots this morning. Hawaii News Now claimed yesterday that 671 homes have been consumed by fire/lava. The USGS says 6,100 acres have now been covered by the eruption, which began on May 3 of this year. The survey also reports that the eruption has added at least 405 acres to the Big Island. She is still advancing toward the Ahalanui Hot Pond and Kua O Ka La Charter School…. only a quarter mile away, flowing over the 1955 lava flow there… but the flow was barely moving as of this morning. The enormous ocean entry between Kapoho Bay and the former Vacationland subdivision still dominates the flow front… and a new flow has rounded Kapoho Crater and is flowing over lava that covered Kapoho Bay two weeks ago. The new flow is apparently the result of a surge of lava overnight that caused any number of overflows near the “braided channel” portion of the lava river between PGV and Kapoho Crater. A good deal of lava exited the channel, but very little flowed outside the apron of lava previously erupted on the river banks.
Mahalo to Paradise Helicopters and Bruce Omori at Extreme Exposure