Late Thursday, Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted, forcing the evacuation of thousands and destroying 26 homes… and counting.
The eruption began as the volcano began smoking, and cracks in the ground began to shoot out lava and toxic sulfur dioxide gas.
A volcano eruption in Hawaii has destroyed 26 homes.
Cracks in the ground continue to spew lava and emit toxic sulfur dioxide gas, which can lead to health problems. No word yet on when evacuated residents will be allowed to return home. pic.twitter.com/Fs7GoFuC9N
— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 7, 2018
ABC News reports the lava spewed into the air even reached hundreds of feet, as shown in their tweet below of a video taken Saturday.
Fountains of lava reach hundreds of feet into the air in this spectacular video captured during Saturday night's eruption on the east side of Hawaii's Big Island. https://t.co/wVPDfNlhvu pic.twitter.com/C9Lpx3R5fH
— ABC News (@ABC) May 7, 2018
But the volcano shows no signs of slowing down, and some experts predict it could be weeks before residents are allowed to return to their homes.
Incredible footage shows the lava flow during this morning's fissure eruption on the east side of Hawaii's Big Island. More than 1,800 residents have been evacuated from their homes. https://t.co/c4jmm3rMcv pic.twitter.com/aMEtfEHnmF
— ABC News (@ABC) May 6, 2018
So far, of the nine tweets President Donald Trump sent out before noon ET on Monday, none commented on the ongoing eruptions in Hawaii. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, however, said that FEMA has been on the ground in the area, and is prepared to send in more help, if needed.
FEMA has been very helpful so far. It has deployed additional personnel to the State, and has a team in Oakland to support monitoring and response needs. Additional teams and personnel are prepared for deployment as needed.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) May 6, 2018
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, also chimed in, telling residents to stay safe and continue to watch for updates.
Hawaii Island residents, stay safe and watch for the latest updates from @CivilDefenseHI, @FEMARegion9, and your local radio and tv stations. https://t.co/FnKGw9t4G1
— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) May 6, 2018
