news from: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hawaii-officials-warn-possible-lava-evacuation-n234071
Hawaii authorities on Saturday told several dozen residents near an active lava flow to prepare for a possible evacuation in the next three to five days as molten rock oozed across a country road and edged closer to homes. The flow was about 35 yards wide and moving northeast at about 10 yards per hour.
Lava of some 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit crossed a road on the edge of Pahoa, the largest town in the mostly rural region of Puna on the Big Island of Hawaii, at 3:50 a.m. It was about six-tenths of a mile from Pahoa Village Road, the town's main street.
It's not clear when it might reach the village road as the flow has been advancing erratically, said Matt Patrick, a geologist with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Officials were going door-to door to about 50 homes to keep residents informed of the lava's movement, said Darryl Oliveira, the director of civil defense for Hawaii County.
"This is all something we've been preparing for and hoping wouldn't have to happen," Oliveira said.
The county will issue a mandatory evacuation order if the flow begins advancing at such a rate that it would be difficult for people to move out of the way with little notice, Oliveira said, adding the presence of hazardous materials — like a pile of tires or a stockpile of chemicals — in the flow's path would also trigger a mandatory evacuation order.
Thoughts?
