Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Too early to tell what’s next
Volcano gave ‘hints’ activity would decrease
By JOHN BURNETT
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
The scientist-in-charge
at Hawaiian Volcano
Observatory said there “were
some hints” the near cessation
of seismic activity at
Kilauea’s summit and drastic
reduction of lava production
by fissure 8 might happen.
Tina Neal said during
a media briefing Monday
that “in retrospect” the laze
plume and dramatic increase
in sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas
emission at Pu‘u ‘O‘o vent
noted Friday by scientists was
a “potential hint
that the system
was changing.”
Neal said
that after the
summit collapse
event on
April 30, Pu‘u
NEAL
‘O‘o “really went quiet.”
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“And we saw nothing
and no activity and
no plume there, once the
rockfall dust from that collapse
settled,” Neal said.
She said the output of
SO2 from the vent went from
between 100 to 150 tons
per day to more than 1,000
tons per day, “the highest
output from Pu‘u ‘O‘o …
in more than 10 years.”
“That’s very interesting.
We do not fully understand
what that means,” she said.
“… It does mean that there’s
magma at a very shallow
level below Pu‘u ‘O‘o that’s
degassing. Whether that
means that system is moving
toward lava re-emerging
in Pu‘u ‘O‘o or not, we just
Index
Big Isle history B4
Classified B6
Comics B5
Commentary A8
A er a summer of Kilauea
disruption, students excited
to go back to Volcano school
Issue No. 219
20 Pages in
2 Sections
Today’s
weather
Page A2
Community A7
Crossword B4
Cryptoquote B4
Dear Abby B4
Grinds A11
Horoscope B4
Letters A8
Nation A4, A9
Obituaries A2
Sports B1
State A3
World A10
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KILAUEA ERUPTION
Parks close as county hunkers down for Hector
By JOHN BURNETT
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
The National Weather Service on
Monday posted a tropical storm watch
for the Big Island as Hurricane Hector
continued its trek toward Hawaii.
As of 5 p.m., the Category 4 hurricane
was 735 miles east-southeast
of Hilo, with maximum sustained
winds of 155 mph with higher
gusts. The storm was moving to
the west-northwest at 16 mph.
Melissa Dye, a forecaster for
the National Weather Service in
Honolulu, said there is a “40 to 50
percent chance of tropical stormforce
winds, and that’s between
39 and 73 miles an hour.”
“If we did get into any of those
tropical storm force winds, it would
likely be late (today) into Wednesday,”
Dye said. “South Point is the main
area we’re looking at, but it could be
the southern third of the Big Island.”
As of Monday evening, Hector
was forecast to pass south of South
Point at about 2 p.m. Wednesday.
The projected
path of
Hurricane Hector
as of Monday
evening. The
Big Island
is circled in
yellow because
the National
Weather Service
issued a tropical
storm watch
for the island
Monday.
See HECTOR Page A5
See ACTIVITY Page A5
HOLLYN JOHNSON/Tribune-Herald
Second-grade teacher Jane Wells gathers her students after their morning piko wehena on Monday during
the first day of school at Volcano School of Arts & Sciences in Volcano.
Returning
to normal?
By STEPHANIE
SALMONS
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
“Hi! Good
morning!”
Teachers
and administrators at
the Volcano School
of Arts & Sciences
greeted eager and
excited students early
Monday morning.
The new year is
underway for the
Hawaiian-focused charter
school located in
Volcano, and it’s business
as usual — for the
most part — in the wake
of volcanic activity from
Kilauea that began as
the 2017-18 school year
was winding down.
Just after 8 a.m., children
and teachers gathered
for its piko wehena,
an opening and welcoming
ceremony, where a
chorus of tiny voices
rose from the front of
the verdant campus
before the students headed
to their classrooms.
“At the end of the
last school year, the
volcano was kind of a
big question,” said fifthgrade
teacher Rebecca
Hatch. “How long it
would keep going, and
how would it affect our
See SCHOOL Page A6
Salad showcases tomatoes
in all of their fresh glory
IN GRINDS ● A11
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