03-07-2014, 09:08 AM
Something to keep in mind - Kilauea and Mauna Loa are both active volcanoes. The current eruption at Kilauea has been going on for over 30 years. This is the exception, not the norm. Most eruptions last a few days to weeks to months - then stop - until a new eruption occurs somewhere else.
It may be a good idea to try and divert this particular flow - but it's not a practical solution for most eruptions that are going to occur on these two volcanoes. There's too much variability and unknowns. I don't hear a lot of consideration and/or understanding of this fact on this forum.
The general rule of thumb to live by (in my opinion) - you chose to build on an active volcano, learn to live with it. if you are in lava zone 1 or 2 you should not be too surprised when lava pops up in your backyard. if you live in lava zone 3 you should be slightly more surprised, but not much.
This is why land is cheap in Puna, Kau and South Kona.
I grew up in Florida, and saw a lot of projects to try to save the coastline and/or houses from hurricane/erosional damage. It gets old seeing those rich folks get bailed out by the gov't, which is funded by everyone.
If diversionary tactics are necessary - how much money would you contribute to that cause? If you are one of the people affected - i think you should be responsible for paying that bill.
It may be a good idea to try and divert this particular flow - but it's not a practical solution for most eruptions that are going to occur on these two volcanoes. There's too much variability and unknowns. I don't hear a lot of consideration and/or understanding of this fact on this forum.
The general rule of thumb to live by (in my opinion) - you chose to build on an active volcano, learn to live with it. if you are in lava zone 1 or 2 you should not be too surprised when lava pops up in your backyard. if you live in lava zone 3 you should be slightly more surprised, but not much.
This is why land is cheap in Puna, Kau and South Kona.
I grew up in Florida, and saw a lot of projects to try to save the coastline and/or houses from hurricane/erosional damage. It gets old seeing those rich folks get bailed out by the gov't, which is funded by everyone.
If diversionary tactics are necessary - how much money would you contribute to that cause? If you are one of the people affected - i think you should be responsible for paying that bill.