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Mauna Loa is showing signs of a possible eruption, and officials in Hawaii have told people to get ready to leave.
Scientists say another eruption is unlikely anytime soon, but they are watching closely because of an earthquake at the volcano’s summit.
They occur because of increased magma flowing below the surface. Although the frequency of earthquakes has decreased in recent days, it is still possible for them to occur again.
Hawaii’The Civil Defence agency tells people how to prepare for the worst. They were told to bring a “go-to” bag with food, decide a safe place to go and plan to meet up with friends and family.
“Don’t panic everyone, but they have to realize that you live on the slopes of Mauna Loa. There is a possibility of some kind of lava disaster,” said Hawaii County Civil Defense Chief Talmadge Magno.
This volcano Covering 51 percent of the island’s land mass, the eruption would have a catastrophic impact on much of the island, Magno said.
At 13,679 feet (4,169 meters), Mauna Loa towers over its neighbouring volcano Kilauea, which erupted in 2018 and destroyed 700 homes.
Mauna Loa is steeper, so the lava flows faster.
If Mauna Loa erupts, lava will quickly flow across large areas of the island
Since 1980, Hawaii’s population has more than doubled from 92,000 to 200,000.
Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843, and when it erupted in 1950, lava flowed 15 miles in three hours.
Officials are telling new residents who weren’t nearby when Mauna Loa last erupted 38 years ago to prepare.
Over the weekend, 220 people attended a community meeting in Ocean View led by civil protection officers.
Some residents, however, were less concerned, said Bob Warner, who didn’t attend the meeting. “More concerned that it would be very annoying to drive an extra hour or two to get the same thing,” he said.
Bar owner Ryan Williams said patrons were used to the warnings and were not concerned about the possibility of an outbreak.
Magno said the agency is targeting people who live near the caldera because if the threat level is raised to “watch,” meaning the volcano is about to erupt, they’ll have the least amount of time to react.
The current alert level is “Recommended”.
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