03-06-2014, 09:42 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Chunkster
Two reasons have been given for the county's lack of interest in lava diversion. One is the liability for damages wherever the diverted lava ends up. The other is the anticipated opposition from Native Hawaiians on cultural and religious grounds. FWIW, the Italians have had some success with diversion on Mt. Aetna, and I would rate their organizational abilities and government efficiency on a rough par with Hawaii.
That's a damn shame. Diverting the flow and containing it to the South- Southeast would be a relatively simple, easily manageable undertaking. It could give between 50-70 people a job for awhile, while only a very few of them would have to be technically skilled. Can you run a rock drill? Can you do some basic math? a few heavy equipment operators, a couple of truck drivers, a good engineer, a bright geologist, mostly manual laborers and the county could have it's cake and eat it, too. You'd have the a safe lava viewing area, Royal gardens could be reclaimed, folks might be able to get some insurance breaks... it'd be a win/win for everybody. Why would native Hawaiians have a problem with which direction the lava flows?
Looks like there's an undersea trough between the Loihi and Hohonu seamounts that would be a perfect receptacle for all that lava. Might even help stabilize the Hilina Slump.
As far as the government having to deal with the fall out from damage and liability, there wouldn't be a better use of eminent domain. There, property is currently already "destroyed." You could effectively control where lava deltas form and where they end up when they break off. If the county does nothing, and the USGS simulation proves true, they have consigned 10,000+ people to losing their homes. The government is supposed to protect property, right?
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