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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.
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quote:
Army Corps of Engineers. Hook them up with USGS for scientific/technical assistance.
Yes, of course.
This, however, assumes that the island is relevant to the Feds.
Which I am pretty sure it is not.
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You don't divert the Lava;
The Lava diverts you.
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We have two years to set up a line of abandoned cars along the southern borders of Ainaloa & HPP to divert the lava.
If everyone from Hawaiian Acres contributes, it should be finished in half the time.
No Dodge Darts or Isuzu Troopers, the bodies are too thin.
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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quote:
Originally posted by bluesboy
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.
If it were Hilo and not HPP in peril, then diversion would be given serious credence.
I figured you were going to justify apathy.
Really, it wouldn't be that expensive. Rough estimate but, 2-5 Million including wages paid. How many tax dollars would be lost if HPP was inundated? Seems like the whole of Puna is the bastard stepchild of the Island. What if it were headed straight for Kona? The whole island is a volcano. Just give up, huh?
True the government is guilty of bailing out some undeserving parties, but saving thousands of people's homes from a lava flow wouldn't be a waste of money.
Wao nehale kane, Panama Canal. Perfect example.
Way I see it, it's basic fluid dynamics, engineering, geology, and physics. An easily solvable problem. Reminds me of the old saying, Lead, Follow or Get out of the Way!
[8]
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quote:
True the government is guilty of bailing out some undeserving parties, but saving thousands of people's homes from a lava flow wouldn't be a waste of money.
"Home" is in the eye of the beholder; County seems to think that all these "private" subdivisions are full of unpermitted shacks with illegal cesspools, so maybe if they ignore the lava long enough, the two problems will cancel each other out.
quote:
Lead, Follow or Get out of the Way!
There is a fourth option: distract the populace with meaningless controversies about who can grow what crops, whether people should be allowed to have marijuana, and that gay marriage thing. This seems to be what we have now.
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bluesboy - the idea behind the social compact is that in this community, state and nation we are all in it together and that we will come to the aid of one another as necessary. That way, my cousins can live in tornado alley and get whacked, people from Brooklyn can move to coastal Florida and watch their roofs go flying to South Carolina, Orleanians can live in their 300 year old city, Californians can live atop a sword of Damocles, and we can live on top of a volcano that's alive and kicking. Being a nation means we've agreed to promote the general welfare, in the words of the preamble to our Constitution.
This notion that each man should pay if his house catches fire (something that is actually required in parts of Kentucky, for example) is toxic to the basic principles that unite us. I have no children that I know of and yet I am ecstatic to pay taxes that provide for education of children, because that promotes the general welfare. At some point someone somewhere decided we should behave like jackals and tear at what flesh is within our reach and snarl if anyone tries to take it from us. That approach is anti-primate, anti-American and at odds with the Hawaiian concept of ohana. I don't know when or where this notion took hold but it is more dangerous to our nation than Al Qaeda ever was.
I agree we need to build a barrier to divert the lava. I think we need to build a "Great Lava Rock Wall". The center would provide an alleyway for the lava. I think we should aim it at the 7/11 in Pahoa.
Also, I think we are also going to have to make a human sacrifice. As a service to the community, I've developed a short list. And, yes, a Kardashian is on it.
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Engineering wise, this doesn't seem particularly difficult. A large explosive on the south side, at an elevation lower than where the lava is spilling out to the northeast, is all you need. Gravity will take care of the rest. It's really not too much different than what we've all done on our Thanksgiving plates with our mashed potatoes and gravy - fixing a leak to one direction by causing a leak to a different direction.
Liability wise, I understand - but don't necessarily agree or disagree - why nobody would want to take action. If the lava is not diverted, and goes to the northeast and causes damage, that's an "Act of God" for insurance companies. If there is a diversion, however, and the lava goes south but then heads east and takes out a house or two in Kalapana, those residents or businesses would presumably have a cause of action against whomever diverted the lava. So I can see why someone wouldn't want to create a diversion. But if push comes to shove, and all of lower Puna is going to be cut off and/or destroyed without action, maybe the calculus will change.
Leilani Estates, 2011 to Present
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Pu'u O'o is within Volcanoes National Park and there is no precedence for blowing up a natural feature within a national park to protect privately owned property outside of the borders of the park.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
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New map is out. Very slight advancement of lava shown. Mostly still stalled.
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