HUNDREDS of anxious Hawaii residents are preparing for what could be weeks or months of upheaval as the dangers from an erupting Kilauea volcano continue to grow.
Lava spurted from volcanic vents and strong earthquakes – including a magnitude 6.9 temblor on Friday – forced the evacuation of more than 1700 people from communities near the lava and prompted the closure of parks, college campuses and a section of the main road through the area.
Tesha Montoya, 45, said toxic fumes were not 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 said. “The earthquake was what made us start running and start throwing guinea pigs and bunnies in the car.”
Montoya, her husband and daughter do not know how long they will be away from the house they built nearly 20 years ago.
“My heart and soul’s there,” she said. “I’m nothing without the land. It’s part of my being.”
Tina Neal, the scientist in charge of the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, warned residents earthquakes and aftershocks could continue for days, even weeks.
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