Mauna Loa erupting

[VancouverIslander]

Cheapest option is to let the lava take the Saddle Road, then rebuild what needs it. That said, after looking at the situation from various safe pull outs off the road, I'm not convinced the lava will read the road. It gets pretty flat out there and I think the road might be a bit higher than the low points the lava is heading towards. It would be great to have a 100' or 50' topo map of the saddle area. In any case, here's today:

https://www.usgs.gov/maps/november-30-20...uption-map

[ironyak]

I'm not convinced the lava will read the road.  It gets pretty flat out there and I think the road might be a bit higher than the low points the lava is heading towards.  It would be great to have a 100' or 50' topo map of the saddle area.

This source has some layers that gets down to that level of detail. It's very flat around Pu'u Huluhulu, but downhill to the east appears to follow and cross Saddle Road at multiple points IMHO.
https://www.topozone.com/hawaii/hawaii-h...mauna-loa/

Flyover video made in Google Earth with the mapped lava flow. HI-SEAS facility looking pretty dicey as the flow from fissure 4 approaches (although it might sit in a kipuka for now based on the steepest descent paths).
https://youtu.be/MRw_5bwsbXc

[Obie]

From a Facebook post :
"County working with State Highways and Pohakuloa have identified a strip of Old Saddle Road across from entrance to Gil Kahele Recreational Park that goes about 4 miles and ends close to Pu’u Huluhulu. Traffic will be one way and this should relieve some of the traffic problems on the DKI Highway/Saddle Road. This is expected to open later today with the entrance across Gil Kahele."

[VancouverIslander]

This source has some layers that gets down to that level of detail. It's very flat around Pu'u Huluhulu, but downhill to the east appears to follow and cross Saddle Road at multiple points IMHO.
https://www.topozone.com/hawaii/hawaii-h...mauna-loa/

Flyover video made in Google Earth with the mapped lava flow. HI-SEAS facility looking pretty dicey as the flow from fissure 4 approaches (although it might sit in a kipuka for now based on the steepest descent paths).
https://youtu.be/MRw_5bwsbXc

Wow, ask and ye shall receive! Nice job with the links, my friend. After looking it over it is possible that the road will be hit by the flow, but also possible that it won't. Previous flow paths from google maps with satellite view show how some have curved either East or West of the current fall line. That youtube video is a very cool piece of work.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Expanding on Obie's post above about opening Old Saddle Road for lava viewing:

… drivers can enter the Old Saddle Road directly across from the Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area. From there, drivers can travel the 4.5-mile stretch of road until it rejoins with the Daniel K. Inouye Highway just before Puʻuhuluhulu near the Maunakea Access Road.
The route is one-way only, and parking will only be allowed on the right side of the road. Only passenger vehicles will be permitted into the route.
No vehicles are allowed to remain on the route for more than 90 minutes. Signage, barricades and traffic control officers will be on the scene.



https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/202...e-highway/

Also, from the same article: 
Hon said that, now that the lava is on flat ground, it will advance sporadically and unpredictably. At its current pace, it could reach the highway in a week, but Hon said it could easily take longer depending on how the lava spreads.

“We don’t know when or even if it will reach the highway at this point,” Hon said, adding that the lava could end up blocking its own path toward the highway.

[terracore]

After running some errands in Hilo we decided to head up the saddle to take a look. Not a lot of traffic. Plenty of cops. They were dispersing people anywhere they started to stop or congregate, even if they were 30 or more feet off the shoulder of the highway.

I had the impression that instead of allowing people to safely pull off the road to view nature's splendor, they instead are creating a worse hazard because people are driving while their eyes aren't watching the road.

As far as a late morning viewing went, there wasn't enough volume to see any glow in the daylight and the lava was far enough off in the distance it was really just a view of smoke. The fissure was more impressive, billowing out smoke and gasses etc.

[ironyak]

Wow, ask and ye shall receive!  Nice job with the links, my friend.  After looking it over it is possible that the road will be hit by the flow, but also possible that it won't.  Previous flow paths from google maps with satellite view show how some have curved either East or West of the current fall line.  That youtube video is a very cool piece of work.

No worries - there is so much data and so many visualizations out there currently that you can review several interesting takes in the time it would take to roll your own.

The flat area by Pu'u Huluhulu is pretty open and paths both to the west and the east appear possible, but on the diversion topic, the 1843 flow seems to sit somewhat higher up so we may see it help divert the current flow back to the east paths if it can't overtop it or sneak around the edge just before Saddle. The steepest descent paths to the west stay pretty much south of Saddle till its termination at 190 so if you wanted the best chance to preserve the road it seems you'd be hoping for that westerly turn (and the flow would cut through PTA, so bonus? ) but it would impact the newly announced lava viewing route along "the slice".

[terracore]

HILO, Dec. 1, 2022 - Hawaiian Electric is preparing for potential impacts from the Mauna Loa eruption that began late Sunday, Nov. 27. The company activated its Incident Management Team and has been working closely with Hawaii County Civil Defense, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and other agencies to monitor and evaluate the lava flows.

“We want to assure the community that we’re ready and able to respond,” said Kristen Okinaka, spokesperson for Hawaiian Electric. “Because of the unpredictable nature of the flows, we’re developing several plans to keep power on and will put into action the plan that best fits the situation. The safety of employees and community is our top priority.”

Plans include, but are not limited to:

• Rerouting power if lava impacts transmission lines on Saddle Road
  
  
• Completing critical maintenance work
  
  
• Ensuring sufficient fuel supply for company-owned facilities and vehicles
  
  
• Assessing alternate driving routes for outage response
  
  
• Staging areas for vehicles and equipment
  

The company will provide more specific information on how customers could be impacted if the flow nears its facilities. As with any natural disaster, the community is encouraged to be prepared for possible power outages and follow the advice of Civil Defense and first responders.

Hawaiian Electric’s free “Handbook for Emergency Preparedness” is available in English, Cantonese, Ilocano, Korean, and Vietnamese. The handbook includes detailed information on preparing for emergency situations and is available on the Hawaiian Electric website and at public libraries, Ace Hardware, Ben Franklin, and Sunshine True Value Hardware. To request a handbook by U.S. mail, please call (808) 969-0137.

As there are new developments, updates will be provided to the media and community and also posted on Hawaiian Electric’s website, Twitter (@HIElectricLight), and Facebook (HawaiianElectric) accounts.


https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/hawaiia...a-eruption

[MyManao]

Live steaming webcam, changing zoom through time.. in and out.. of vent and flow. The camera is mounted to the "coude roof" of the UH 2.2m Telescope on Maunakea. Courtesy of the Institute for Astronomy..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so_qJJsjbaM

[TomK]

"Why would fire engines have to go over Saddle Road when there are fire engines all over the island, including Pohakuloa?"

That is a good question but fact of the matter is they do drive back and forth over the saddle.  Quote from the spouse of a fireman.

I didn't say they don't use Saddle Road, I can imagine and know of many scenarios when they have; if further assistance is needed, e.g., to fight a large wildfire and they certainly use the road if they have to attend to situations when the road is the only way to get there, e.g., Mauna Kea. It's also the fastest route between the west and east side. It'll be a bit of a bummer if the lava flow sets off wildfires that the fire trucks can't get to if Saddle Road is cut off. So I just don't get what point you are making.