Transcript LAVA FLOW—A SILENT VOLCANIC HAZARD IN HAWAII Thursday

LAVA FLOW—A SILENT
VOLCANIC HAZARD IN HAWAII
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Walter Hays, Global Alliance for
Disaster Reduction, Vienna,
Virginia, USA
LAVA FLOW MOVING AT 5 M PER
HOUR TOWARDS PAHOA
WHAT HAS HAPPENED?
• The lava from Kilauea, a nonexplosive volcano, that has been
erupting for years, emerged from a
vent in June.
• Traveling slowly, it entered Pahoa
on Oct. 26, when it crossed a
country road at the edge of town.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
LAVA FLOW FROM KILAUEA CONTINUES
ITS ADVANCE TOWARD PAHOA
PAHOA HAWAII
• A contingent of National Guard
troops was dispatched to Pahoa on
Thursday, October 30, to provide
security to the Big Island
community that was being
threatened by the slow-moving
river of molten lava creeping
slowly towards the town's center.
WHAT HAPPENED?
• The leading edge of the molten rock
stalled at the edge of town on Oct. 30,
but lava began to break away at several
other upslope spots..
• Between October 30 and November 10,
the flow smothered part of a cemetery,
and burned down a garden shed, tires,
some metal materials, and vegetation.
Monday, November 10, 2014
LAVA FLOW ARRIVES AND SETS FIRE
TO FIRST HOUSE
WHAT HAPPENED?
• The molten rock set fire to the first
house in Pahoa around midday on
Monday, November 10th .
• The house was allowed to burn as
firefighters took actions to prevent its
spread to other houses.
• The home's occupants had already left
the residence.
WHAT IS NEXT?
• Officials are working on safe
evacuation routes and plans.
• Many residents have evacuated.
• Having put their belongings in
storage, others are prepared to leave
for a friend’s house, or elsewhere, if
necessary when the lava gets closer.
BACKGROUND
ELEMENTS OF VOLCANIC
HAZARDS AND RISK
ELEMENTS OF RISK
HAZARDS
EXPOSURE
RISK
VULNERABILITY
LOCATION
VOLCANOES
PART OF THE PACIFIC “RING OF FIRE,”
JAPAN HAS ACTIVE VOLCANOES AS A
RESULT OF COMPLEX SUBDUCTION OF
THE PACIFIC PLATE BENEATH THE
EURASIAN PLATE
100 OF THE WORLD’S 1,500 ACTIVE
VOLCANOES ARE IN JAPAN
CAUSES
OF RISK
LATERAL BLAST
PYROCLASTIC FLOWS
FLYING DEBRIS
VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS
CASE HISTORIES
ASH PLUME AND
GASES
LAVA FLOWS
LAHARS
TOXIC GASES
VOLCANO HAZARDS
CAN HAVE FAR REACHING IMPACTS
• VERTICAL PLUME (can affect
jet aircraft)
• ASH AND TEPHRA
• LATERAL BLAST
• PYROCLASTIC CLOUDS,
BURSTS, AND FLOWS
VOLCANO HAZARDS
CAN HAVE FAR REACHING IMPACTS
• LAVA FLOWS
• LAHARS (can bury villages)
• EARTHQUAKES (related to
movement of lava)
• “VOLCANIC WINTER” (causing
famine and mass extinctions)
THE REASONS FOR
DISASTERS TO OCCUR. . .
• The community is UNPREPARED for what will likely
happen, not to mention the
low-probability of occurrence—
high-probability of adverse
consequences event.
THE REASONS ARE . . .
• The community has NO DISASTER
PLANNING SCENARIO or
WARNING SYSTEM in place as a
strategic framework for early threat
identification and coordinated
local, national, regional, and
international countermeasures.
THE REASONS ARE . . .
• The community LACKS THE
CAPACITY TO RESPOND in a
timely and effective manner to
the full spectrum of expected
and unexpected emergency
situations.
THE REASONS ARE . . .
• The community is INEFFICIENT
during recovery and
reconstruction because it HAS
NOT LEARNED from either the
current experience or the
cumulative prior experiences.
THE KEYS TO RESILIENCE:
1) KNOW THE ERUPTIVE HISTORY OF
YOUR REGION’S VOLCANOES,
2) BE PREPARED
3) HAVE A WARNING SYSTEM
4) EVACUATE
5) LEARN FROM THE
EXPERIENCE AND START OVER
VOLCANO RISK
•VOLCANO HAZARDS
•PEOPLE & BLDGS.
•VULNERABILITY
•LOCATION
DATA BASES
AND INFORMATION
ACCEPTABLE RISK
RISK
UNACCEPTABLE RISK
HAWAII’S
GOAL: VOLCANO
DISASTER RESILIENCE
COMMUNITIES
POLICY OPTIONS
HAZARDS:
GROUND SHAKING
GROUND FAILURE
SURFACE FAULTING
TECTONIC DEFORMATION
TSUNAMI RUN UP
AFTERSHOCKS
• PREPAREDNESS
•PROTECTION
•EARLY WARNING
•EMERGENCY RESPONSE
•RECOVERY and
RECONSTRUCTION