Lava from the Leilani Estates Fissure #8 continues to issue huge volumes of hot rock into a lava river, running across the subdivision and collecting in a gigantic perched pond (storage area), which feeds lava downslope to Kapoho.
The flow front came very close to Four Courners… an intersection that if covered, would effectively cut off residents between Pohoiki Road and Green Mountain, including Pohoiki, the Hot Pond area, Vacationland and Kapoho Beach Lots.
But in addition to making the intersection, she made a u-turn, destroyed a home there and entered Green Mountain! Reports are that she entered Green Lake and sent a plume skyward and is now burning houses in the area.
Residents of the subdivisions between Four Corners and where the lava entered the sea near MacKenzie State Park are now effectively cut off from the rest of the island.
The direction of the distal tip still looks like she is headed to Kapoho Beach Lots… or possibly Vacationland… or both. Back upslope, earlier flows headed East-Northeast of concern to residents of Nanawale and Hawaiian Beaches/Shores have stalled out… nearly all the activity is now in the channelized river, or oozing out here and there from small breaches in the walls of the pond.
That perched pond however, holds a vast amount of lava… and should a major breach occur, could send volumes of red hot lava streaming in almost any direction. But short of that scenario, the aforementioned subdivisions appear pretty much out of harms way… at least for now. As I’ve said many times, I’m a volcanographer, NOT a volcanologist… so these are merely my personal observations… please take them for what they are worth.
Mahalo to the kind folks at Paradise Helicopters who make this all possible. Smiley face pilot, Colin Burkardt guided Bruce Omori, Leilani, Flyboy Ducky and me over the flow field on an amazing charter flight. Mahalo, Colin! A hui hou!
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