(ABOVE PHOTO) Hawaii County Civil Defense photo taken during a Friday morning overflight and posted to the Civil Defense Facebook page.

NEWS BRIEFS

• Civil defense observed very little activity along the down slope breakouts this morning, during a flight that was delayed and limited due to weather conditions. Upslope, civil defense saw numerous surface breakouts and flows from the vent to the crack system indicating lava remains in the system.
• The nearest surface flow activity and surface breakouts are approximately 3.6 miles upslope of Apa’a Street “in the area just below and to the north of the former geothermal well pad site.” Yesterday the nearest activity was measured at 4 miles upslope of Apa’a. On Wednesday, it was 5 miles upslope.
• The evacuation advisory for those residents down slope as well as the closure of Pahoa Village Road remain in effect, although officials have announced their intention of re-opening the road early next week as long as the lava is not active near Pahoa. Civil defense also plans to downsize the command center in Pahoa, at least for the short term.

PRIMARY SOURCES

This morning’s assessment was delayed due to weather conditions which continue to limit the access to the upslope areas. The assessment continues to show very little activity along the down slope breakouts and no advancement has been noted since Saturday. Numerous surface breakouts and flows continue in the areas from the vent to the crack system indicating lava remains in the system. The nearest surface flow activity and surface breakouts are approximately 3.6 miles upslope of Apa’a Street in the area just below and to the north of the former geothermal well pad site.

The evacuation advisory for those residents down slope of the flow will continue and residents will be kept informed of the flow status and advancement.

The Pahoa Village Road between Apa’a Street and the Post Office Road will remain closed and limited to area residents only. Access to the businesses and commercial areas of the Pahoa town can be made through the Pahoa Village Road at the intersection of Highways 130 and 132 and the Post Office Road. We apologize for any inconvenience the road closure may be presenting with and remind everyone that the Pahoa town center and businesses are open and accessible. Every consideration is being given to the reopening of the road as soon as it is safe to do so.

Civil Defense and public safety personnel will be operating in the area round the clock to maintain close observations of flow activity. Civil Defense and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory personnel will be monitoring the flow activity closely for any possible changes.

Additional updates will be posted as conditions change.

We would like to thank everyone for your patience and understanding and your cooperation and assistance is greatly appreciated.Hawaii County Civil Defense on Nov. 21 at 9 a.m. HST

Civil Defense Lava Flow Maps – Updated Friday, 11/21/14 at 7:00 am

Kīlauea Volcano continues to erupt at its summit and within its East Rift Zone. The downslope portion of the June 27th lava flow below the crack system, near Kaohe Homesteads and Pāhoa, was not active this morning, but breakouts were active in the upslope portion of the flow from within the crack system to near the base of Puʻu ʻŌʻō. Kīlauea’s summit began an inflationary trend yesterday afternoon, and the level of the summit lava lake at Halemaʻumaʻu Crater rose slightly.

June 27th Lava Flow Observations: HVO scientists conducted fieldwork on the June 27th lava flow yesterday in the lowermost part of the ground crack system. The leading edge of the lowest active breakout was located about 500 meters (0.3 miles) northeast of the abandoned geothermal well site, and about 1.9 km (1.2 miles) west of Kaohe Homesteads. There were no signs of active breakouts downslope (north) of the crack system. Other breakouts were also active farther upslope, closer to Puʻu ʻŌʻō, based on webcam views yesterday afternoon and overnight. An overflight is scheduled for this afternoon, weather permitting.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō Observations: No significant changes were noted near Puʻu ʻŌʻō. Seismic tremor continued with relatively steady amplitude, and webcams revealed no strong variations in the pattern of glow from degassing vents nor the configuration of the crater floor. The tiltmeter at Puʻu ʻŌʻō fluctuated only slightly in the past 24 hours. The GPS-measured length across the cone has not changed significantly since July. The most recent measurement of sulfur dioxide emissions from the East Rift Zone was about 250 tonnes per day on November 18, 2014.

Summit Observations: The deflationary tilt of the past several days changed to inflationary tilt starting yesterday afternoon, and the slight inflationary trend continues this morning. The surface height of the lava lake in the Overlook vent raised slightly. Volcanic tremor persisted at fluctuating amplitudes based on spattering activity in the lake. Small amounts of particulate material were carried aloft by the plume. Summit emissions of sulfur dioxide were measured at 4,400 tonnes/day on November 18 USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Nov. 21 at 9:19 a.m. HST