UPDATE: 1:45 p.m.
A total of 21 homes have been destroyed by the lava eruption in Leilani Estates, Hawaii County officials confirmed this afternoon. The latest update was a sharp increase from the nine homes confirmed earlier today.
Geologists expect the ongoing lava outbreak from Kilauea volcano that is inundating Leilani Estates to continue for days if not weeks to come.
Just before 1 p.m. today, scientists at Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said, “Since late last evening, fissure eruptions have been continuous, and a lava flow has advanced northward about 0.6 miles.”
”Areas downslope of erupting fissures are at risk of lava inundation,” they said. “The general area of Leilani Estates remains at the greatest risk. However, as the eruption progresses, other areas of the lower East Rift Zone may also be at risk.”
They also warned of the health hazards from high levels of volcanic gas, including sulphur dioxide, and smoke from burning houses and burning asphalt is a health concern and should be avoided.
The onslaught of lava into Leilani Estates in lower Puna continues into its fourth day with no end in sight.
As of early this afternoon, the toll of Kilauea volcano’s wrath is nine destroyed houses in the rural subdivision, where at least nine active vents have been confirmed. About 1,800 residents of Leilani Estates and neighboring Lanipuna Gardens remain under evacuation orders.
Overnight, the American Red Cross hosted about 225 people, with roughly 90 pets, at the Pahoa Community Center shelter and 15 people at the Keaau Community Center shelter. The shelters opened soon after the Thursday evening lava outbreaks at Leilani Estates and saw a surge of more evacuees after Friday afternoon’s magnitude-6.9 quake and its hundreds of smaller aftershocks.
The increased seismic and volcanic activity is expected to continue for days, if not weeks, to come.
Leilani Estates residents are being allowed back in temporarily today, but only to take care of essential tasks, like retrieving or caring for animals, and gathering essential documents and items. Those who return are expected to leave by 6 p.m., Hawaii County officials said.
Traffic backups on Highways 130 and 132 are due to Leilani resident-only screening.
The upheaval and uncertainty has left the exiled southeastern Big Island residents filled with anxiety. While some residents were initially willing to withstand the lava threat at first, Friday’s 6.9-magnitude quake — the largest in Hawaii in 48 years — scared many to heed the evacuation order.
Tesha “Mirah” Montoya, 45, said toxic fumes escaping from the lava vents weren’t enough to make her family evacuate, but the tipping point were the earthquakes.
“I felt like the whole side of our hill was going to explode,” she told the Associated Press. “The earthquake was what made us start running and start throwing guinea pigs and bunnies in the car.”