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quote:
Originally posted by Wao nahele kane
Seattle and Mount Rainier/Baker on its, as I recall, once every 250,000 year eruption cycle? An eruption that won't reach Seattle but its ash fall might if the prevailing winds just happen to be coming from an odd East or South East direction respectively? I doubt Seattle would be harmed much from a Mount Rainier/Baker eruption but maybe a lahar in the rivers could cause a bit of havoc and Tacoma might get some bad lahars rushing through some of its local rivers from Raindog, maybe.
Remember, it isn't Seattle or Tacoma that has property insurance problems due to volcanic activity, that is exclusive to the Big Islands LZ 1 - 2 and a great deal of that is in Puna. That alone does indeed impede development in Puna.
I did a lot of trainings in urban disaster planning and Seattle was the the poster child for major disaster waiting to happen. Rainier and Hood both are in the same state that Mount St. Helens was before blowing up, but there are extensive "rural" suburban development in the pathways of the pyroclastic mud flows that will follow quickly on the heals of the eruption. Most of those communities have only one way in or out for evacuation. The fatal mudslide that happened in Washington last year or the year before was similar to what will happen, just on a much, much smaller scale.
But you are missing my point, Seattle was just an example. There are many cities all over the world located in close proximity to natural disasters, humans build where they want to live or where they can do business, disaster assessment doesn't seem to be a huge part of the equation.
Kilauea is slow and fairly predictable compared to the natural disaster risks facing other cities, there may be a lot of reasons why Hilo will not ever rival Honolulu in size, but Kilauea is not the top factor.
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fwiw
Kilauea will never reach Hilo 100% impossible, Mauna Loa is its master and will reach it sooner or later
Hilo will NEVER be a Honolulu/Waikiki ONLY because of the Rain and lack of Beaches...
aloha
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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
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Jobs... yeah. Now there's a pickle. If Microsoft and other software companies were to move to the Islands, then things would change around here JOB wise. If only the State could find a way to attract software and high tech industry to the islands. That would require a compromise in their current tax schemes etc. Lets face it, there's only so much space amongst all the Islands and growth isn't something that's really wanted. Keeping it retirement, services, agriculture and tourism is just fine by me but eventually transportation methods will advance leaps and bounds (like traveling to the mainland in 15 minutes, still sci-fi publically). When that technology era occurs publically, everything here will change quickly.
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Shockwave rider,
I hear you and fully agree, unfortunately that's not how human nature responds in the realm of development.
As long as Kilauea rumbles and spews forth lava, it will continue to play on the fears of the common human. These other threats are based on historic events and are not a tangible reality to most people. Many insurance companies have denied insurance in zones one and two and the major lending institutions have put these zones in a non lending status. Those are two major things that affect development.
As per Hilo is concerned, that's a matter of Mauna Loa. It will strike Hilo sooner than later and once it has, it will be shunned for many decade thereafter.
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This is a fascinating article on fault running all along the Pacific Northwest, and the really big one they're due for. The planners would have probably considered how they developed had they any idea they were building on a subduction zone.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/0...ly-big-one
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Fault lines running under development are a well-known fact which includes substantial regulatory overhead in the form of extensive codes and inspections.
Development in the path of potential lava flow has no additional requirements, other than the recently-added "tsuami safe room", and possible backpressure due to the lack of available insurance.
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I know of a large city that built all of its hospitals, clinics, major commute train, along with the regions water, gas, airplane fuel, etc. all either crossing, or straddling a major fault with the regions main water pipes directly upslope of the largest high school, with a major gas pipeline running down the street in front of it. Then they built a huge shopping mall on bay mud fill. If a dam nearby were to breach, or a tidal surge were to happen, over half the housing would be under water, but yet no FEMA guidelines are enforced for those areas when additions or new housing tracts are built.
Is that proper planning, or just tax base greed that is all insurable development?
Community begins with Aloha
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straddling a major fault... bay mud fill... Is that proper planning?
If you build it
They will come
And not ask questions
"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:
If Microsoft and other software companies were to move to the Islands, then things would change around here JOB wise. If only the State could find a way to attract software and high tech industry to the islands.
I work via the internet, and the most painful part of moving here was giving up fast internet connection. If that wasn't the case, it wouldn't be hard to coax some technical businesses here. I can't think of a better place to work from home.
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I work via the internet, and the most painful part of moving here was giving up fast internet connection.
You moved here in spite of slow internet, and you're only too happy to pay any price for that access, therefore it is not a "problem" as far as Telcom or the State is concerned.
coax some technical businesses here
Why bother when there's County jobs? You only gotta do one thing before lunch, and maybe another thing after lunch, then retire and collect your pension. See? No problem.
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