The Mauna Loa volcano is showing signs that it may erupt and officials in Hawaii have told people to get ready to leave in a hurry.
Scientists say another eruption is unlikely soon but are watching closely because of earthquakes at the volcano’s summit.
They are happening because of the the increase of magma flowing underneath the earth’s surface. Although the quakes have become less frequent in recent days, there is a possibility they could return.
Hawaii’s civil defence agency is telling people how to prepare for the worst. The have been told to pack a “go” bag with food, decide on a safe place to go and have a plan to meet up with friends and family.
The administrator for Hawaii County Civil Defense, Talmadge Magno, said “Not to panic everybody, but they have to be aware of that you live on the slopes of Mauna Loa. There’s a potential for some kind of lava disaster”.
The volcano accounts for 51% of the island’s land mass, so an eruption would have a catastrophic impact on much of the island, Magno said.
Mauna Loa is 13,679 ft (4,169m) above sea level and towers above its neighbouring volcano Kilauea, which erupted in 2018 and destroyed 700 homes.
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Mauna Loa is steeper so lava will flow much faster.
Since 1980 the population of Hawaii has more than doubled from 92,000 to 200,000.
Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843 and when it erupted in 1950, the lava flowed 15 miles in three hours.
Officials are telling newer residents, who were not around when Mauna Loa last erupted 38 years ago, to be prepared.
In Ocean View 220 people attended a community meeting last weekend led by civil defense officials.
However, some residents are not as concerned, Bob Werner, who did not attend the meeting, said the “greater concern is it will be extremely annoying to drive an extra hour or two hours to get the same stuff,” he said.
Ryan Williams, a bar owner, said that customers were used to warnings and were not worried about the possibility of eruption.
Magno said the agency is targeting people living near the volcano’s vents as they would have the least time to respond if the threat level is raised to “watch” meaning an eruption is imminent.
The current alert level is “advisory”.
