Kaʻū News Briefs Dec. 27, 2024

Seven new DOCARE officers have been sworn in for this island to work enforcement for the 
state Department of Land & National Resources, which manages huge holdings in Kaʻū.

SEVEN NEW DOCARE OFFICERS were sworn in for this island earlier this month in a ceremony on O'ahu for 25 who will serve statewide with Department of Land & Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement.
   During the ceremonies, DLNR First Deputy Ryan Kanaka‘ole, whose family is from Wai‘ōhinu and who worked on preservation of Kāwā along the Kaʻū Coast, said, “The job you have is very heavy, it’s challenging, it’s indispensable. Without a working enforcement arm our department is toothless, it is ineffective, we fail at our mission. I think I speak for everyone at DLNR, when I say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your service.”
    The graduation ceremony was held at Hawai‘i Convention Center, as members of Recruit Class 24-01 were surrounded by family, friends, DOCARE leadership and academy instructors. They watched as each
new DOCARE officer was presented with a graduation certificate, followed by badge pinning.

    Officer Zane Dela Cruz will be assigned to his home island of Lana‘i, joining another recruit as the third and fourth DOCARE officers there. He had tears in his eyes when former state game warden Albert Morita, whom he calls Uncle Al, carefully pinned a DOCARE badge on his uniform. “Growing up he was our game warden,” Dela Cruz said. “He’s always been someone I’ve looked up to. He was very fair and consistent in how he performed his job.”
    Dela Cruz admits in his younger days he interacted with Morita, but not always in the best manner. “But the way he conducts himself, you have to respect him. He’s a good man and I’m very proud to follow in his footsteps,” Dela Cruz added.
    Prior to commissioning, guest speakers included former Lt. Governor James “Duke” Aiona, who is a retired judge and provided courtroom instruction for the academy class, as well as UH Richardson School 
of Law Dean Emerita Denise Antolini.
    Both Aiona and Antolini emphasized the responsibility of communities on each Hawaiian Island to support DOCARE and its mission, as well as to hold the new officers accountable.
    “I think we as a community, we as supporters of them and holding them accountable need to make sure they keep doing what they do without looking at those challenges,” Aiona said. Primary among the challenges he cited is the fact that DOCARE and other law enforcement agencies don’t have all the resources they may need to effectively carry out their missions.
    Antolini, who describes herself as one of DOCARE’s number-one fans, traced the history of the academy program, starting in 2017 and resulting in nearly doubling the number of officers in the field.

    “I don’t think we had any idea in August 2017 how this would far exceed our expectations, and this is the embodiment of that dream,” Antolini told the recruits.
    DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla then reminded the newly commissioned conservation officers, “As a civil servant your job is to serve our fellow citizens and visitors alike. It is important you recognize that while you may have a formal chain of command of people who are your bosses, the taxpayers of the state of Hawai‘i are your bosses, too.”
    Hawai‘i Island, Maui Nui, and O‘ahu will all have seven additional DOCARE officers, while Kaua‘i will have four.

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The old Naval Air Station swimming pool recently
reopened after $7.3 million in renovations and will
be the site of lifeguard training, with the Pāhala
pool remaining closed for its own renovations.
Photo from County of Hawai'i

COUNTY LIFEGUARD CLASSES, WITH THE COUNTY POOL IN PĀHALA still closed for renovations, will be available to Kaʻū residents in Hilo at the NAS aquatics center, starting Jan. 10.

    The name NAS reflects the building of the pool by the military in World War II as the Naval Air Station aquatics training center. It received a $7.3 million renovation and reopened in September. It is located at 135 Operations St. near Hilo Airport.
    Operated by the county Department of Parks & Recreation, the lifeguard program is an American Red Cross Lifeguarding Certification Course, which includes deep water training. It will be held Fridays from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. from Jan. 10-Feb. 7.
    The upcoming course at NAS follows a series of successful certification courses held in Hilo, Kona and Pāhoa last fall and is an opportunity to equip even more community members with important lifesaving skills, says a statement from County of Hawai'i.
    The certification course is open to participants who will be 15 years old on or before the final scheduled session of the lifeguarding course. In addition, participants must complete two prerequisite swimming skills evaluations.
    The course costs $122; payment must be made in cash in the exact amount. Payment can be made on the first day of class. Contact NAS Swimming Pool at 808-961-8697 to learn more and to register.
Information about pre-requisites can be found on the Department of Parks & Recreation Aquatics Section webpage: https://www.parks.hawaiicounty.gov/divisions/recreation/aquatics.

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POLICE ARRESTED 19 FOR DUI during the week of Dec. 16, through Dec. 22. Hawai‘i Island police arrested the motorists for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Seven of the drivers were involved in a traffic accident. Two were under the age of 21. So far this year, there have been 942 DUI arrests compared with 930 during the same period last year, an increase of 1.3 percent.

    Hawai‘i Police Department’s Traffic Services Section reviewed all updated crashes and found 963 major crashes so far this year, compared with 830 during the same time last year, an increase of 16 percent.
    To date, there were 25 fatal crashes, resulting in 28 fatalities, compared with 14 fatal crashes, resulting in 15 fatalities for the same time last year. (The year to date fatal crashes is revised deleting one fatal crash on 11/09/2024 which was inadvertently added as a multiple crash that had multiple deaths in its place.)     This represents an increase of 78.6 percent for fatal crashes and 86.7 percent for fatalities.
    In 2024, the non-traffic fatality count (not on a public roadway) is one, compared to zero non-traffic fatalities for the same time last year.
    Police promise that DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.

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Kaʻū News Briefs Dec. 26, 2024

The eruption at the summit of Kīlauea volcano on Dec. 24. Several vents along the southwest of Halema'uma'u crater floor feed lava flows on the floor of Kaluapele, Kīlauea caldera. USGS photo

THE EIGHTH ERUPTION SINCE 2020 RESUMED EARLY THURSDAY EVENING at Kīlauea and is the subject of this week's Volcano Watch, written by scientists and affiliates of Hawaiian Volcano Obervatory. Kīlauea began erupting again on Dec. 23. It is the sixth within Kaluapele, since 2020. These previous eruptions within Kaluapele lasted from less than one week to more than a year. This history of activity, along with continued summit inflation, suggests that eruptive activity may continue to pause and resume in the coming days or weeks. 

    The new eruption within Kaluapele (the summit caldera) began at approximately 2:20 a.m. HST on Dec. 23. Lava fountains reached heights of nearly 300 feet (91 meters) and lava flows covered more than 650 acres (2.6 square kilometers) during two distinct eruptive episodes between Dec. 23 and 25. Both episodes ended abruptly and were followed by the draining of molten lava back into eruptive vents, along with changes in summit tilt from deflation to inflation. The eruption resumed during the early evening of Dec. 26.

    This is the third eruption of Kīlauea in 2024. It's noteworthy that these three eruptions occurred in different parts of the volcano. The June 3 eruption occurred southwest of Kaluapele. The September 15-20 eruption occurred on the East Rift Zone. And now this eruption is occurring within Kaluapele. The last time that eruptions occurred in all three of these areas in the same year was 50 years ago!
    This diversity of eruptions within a single year is fascinating not only for its historical context but especially for what it can tell us about magma migration and storage within and between different parts of Kīlauea. All Kīlauea eruptions from 2020 to 2023 occurred within Kaluapele. Things changed in 2024 as magma migrated away from the summit.
     Intense sequences of earthquakes, surface deformation, and ground cracking occurred in early 2024 as magma migrated toward the Southwest Rift Zone (SWRZ) and approached the surface in the Kaʻū Desert.       

    Activity culminated with the June 3 eruption located 2.5 miles (4 km) southwest of Kaluapele. This emplacement of fresh magma increased the potential for future activity along the SWRZ.
    Earthquakes, deformation and ground cracking intensified throughout the summer as magma approached the surface along the upper and middle East Rift Zone (ERZ), damaging Chain of Craters Road. Activity culminated with the September 10-16 eruption at Napau Crater. This emplacement of fresh magma increased the potential for future activity along the ERZ. 

     Magma continued to accumulate beneath the summit from September through December. Rates of seismicity and ground deformation increased suddenly around 2:00 a.m. on December 23. The current eruption began 20 minutes later. Even though fresh pathways and magma bodies were emplaced along both rift zones in 2024, magma made its way to the surface at Halema'uma'u for this eruption.

Kīlauea Overlook on Christmas Day just after sunset, following a toddler almost falling into the caldera. NPS photo by D. Miller

Spectacular lava fountains and fast-moving lava flows began to diminish around 3 p.m. on Dec. 23. The eruption paused. Not only did lava stop erupting, some of it drained back into the vents from which it so recently erupted. "Drainback" events have been observed before and were especially dramatic during the 1959 Kīlauea Iki eruption. Lava becomes denser as it degasses during eruption. Denser, degassed lava can then sink back down into inactive vents like water down a drain.

     With the surface activity paused, summit deflation changed to inflation as magma reaccumulated beneath the surface. Small lava fountains and flows resumed on the morning of December 24. Fountains increased in vigor around 11 a.m., signaling the onset of a second episode.
    Episode 2 lasted a little over 24 hours, about twice as long as Episode 1. Lava fountains rapidly died down again just before 11:00 a.m. on Dec. 25. And lava began draining back into the vent at nearly the same time summit tiltmeters began recording a change from deflation to inflation. The pattern was similar but even more abrupt than the onset of the pause on Dec. 23. 
    Summit inflation continued and the eruption resumed around 5:45 p.m. HST on Dec. 26. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and is in contact with Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and the Hawai'i County Civil Defense Agency. We at HVO would also like to wish you and your 'ohana a happy and safe holiday season.

Volcano Activity Updates
    Kīlauea is erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is ADVISORY. A new Kīlauea summit began Dec. 23. Since then, intermittent lava eruption has been occurring from vents in the southwest part of the caldera, feeding lava flows on the floor of the caldera. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are elevated in the summit region during eruptive activity. Earthquake rates in the Southwest Rift Zone and upper to middle East Rift Zone remained comparable to the previous week. Ground deformation rates outside of the summit region remained steady.

    Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.
Two earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M3.7 earthquake 2 km (1 mi) SE of Hana at 10 km (6 mi) depth on Dec. 19 at 8:44 p.m. HST and a M3.0 earthquake 3 km (1 mi) SSW of Pāhala at 34 km (21 mi) depth on Dec. 19 at 9:37 a.m. HST.
   HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
Please visit HVO's website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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A thermal image Thursday night of the eruption that resumed in the afternoon. USGS webcam image

A NEAR TRAGEDY AT THE CROWDED OVERLOOK OF THE CALDERA is reported by Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park:

     As families watched lava glow within Kaluapele at sunset on Christmas Day, a shocking scene unfolded in a closed area beyond the post-and-cable barrier at Kīlauea Overlook.
    A toddler wandered off from his family and in a split second, ran straight toward the 400-foot cliff edge. His mother, screaming, managed to grab him in the nick of time just a foot or so away from a fatal fall. Disaster was averted, and the shaken family departed. A Christmas to remember?
    Park rangers remind visitors to stay on trail, stay out of closed areas and to keep their children close, especially when watching Kīlauea from viewpoints along Crater Rim Trail. Those who ignore the warnings, walk past closure signs, lose track of loved ones, and sneak into closed areas to get a closer look do so at great risk.
    In addition to steep unstable cliff edges and hazardous terrain (often hidden at night), other dangers escalate during increased visitation associated with eruptions. Drivers are urged to slow down, watch out for pedestrians and nēnē (the Hawaiian goose), and to drive with aloha. Remember to switch to low beams when other cars and pedestrians are present.

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Fireworks are super popular to bring in the New Year in Kaʻū's villages. Photo by Julia Neal

FIREWORKS PERMITS ARE AVAILABLE, as of Dec. 26. The County of Hawaiʻi Fire Department made the announcement, noting that each permit costs $25 and will entitle the holder to purchase 5,000 firecrackers. Multiple permit purchases are authorized.
    Permits shall only be issued to people 18 years old or older and are nontransferable and non-refundable.
    Firework sales began Dec. 26 and end at midnight on New Year's Eve. Permits are not required for the purchase of novelties and paperless firecrackers.
     Permits are available at the following locations:

J. Hara Store: 17-343 Volcano Highway in Kurtistown

TNT Tent: 16-711 Milo St. in Keaʻau
KTA Puainako: 50 E. Puainako St. in Hilo

Phantom Fireworks Tent: 325 E. Makaʻala St. in Hilo
Phantom Fireworks Tent: 111 E. Puainako St. in Hilo
TNT Tent: 381 E. Makaʻala St. in Hilo

Kimura General Store: 27-289 Mill Road in Papaikou

TNT Tent: 45-3327 Kou St. in Honokaʻa
KTA Waimea: 65-1158 Mamalahoa Highway in Kamuela
Pacific Fireworks: 74-5629 Kuakini Highway, Suite 155, in Kailua-Kona
Phantom Fireworks Tent: 74-5511 Luhia St. in Kailua-Kona
TNT Tent: 75-1015 Henry St. in Kailua-Kona
    No permits will be sold in the Parker Ranch Shopping Center Food Court this year.
    Setting off fireworks for New Year's celebrations is allowed between 9 p.m. on New Year's Eve and 1 a.m. on New Year's Day. Permits shall be visibly displayed at the site of use during the firing.
    The Fire Department would like to remind the public that it is illegal for anyone to:
    Remove the powder or pyrotechnic contents from any firework.
    Throw fireworks from, at, or into any vehicle.
    Set off any fireworks:At any time not within the specified periods.
    Within 1,000 feet of any hospital, convalescent home, care home for the elderly, zoo, animal hospital or shelter, or church when services are held.
    On any school property without authorization from the said school official.
    On any Public way such as a highway, alley, street, sidewalk, or park.
    Offer for sale, sell, or give any fireworks to minors; or for any minor to possess, purchase, sell, or set off, ignite, or otherwise cause to explode any fireworks, except under the immediate supervision of an adult.
    Set off any aerial luminary devices, commonly called Sky Lanterns or Hawaiʻi Lanterns, or any other aerial devices, such as bottle rockets, skyrockets, Roman candles, cakes, mortars, or shells.
    Additionally, the Fire Department humbly asks everyone to please kōkua in helping the Department prevent fires and avoid the unnecessary injuries caused by fireworks each year.
    Residents can help by:
    Using extreme care when setting off fireworks. Children playing with fireworks should always be under an adult's close supervision. Even the smallest of fireworks can cause severe injuries. Please help us to help you start the New Year off safely.
    Fireworks should be set off in an area well away from dry grass or flammable materials.
    Light fireworks one at a time. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
    Never use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
    Never place any part of your body directly over or under a fireworks device when lighting the fuse.        Never hold a lighted firework in your hand or aim it at another person.
    Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not fully ignited.
    Please be mindful of lighting fireworks during moderate to high winds that could contribute to spreading a brush fire rapidly.
    Be sure fireworks are completely extinguished before being disposed of.
    Have a fire extinguisher and/or a water hose for use during an unplanned or unexpected fire. Be sure the water hose(s) can reach all areas where fireworks are being conducted, especially around the entire house.
    Wetting down any dry grassy area before and after setting off fireworks is also a great idea. Doing it before will also let you know the capability of your water source.
    Wear protective eyewear to prevent eye injuries.
    If injured, get medical attention immediately by calling 911.
    For more information on purchasing fireworks permits, the use of fireworks, or the fireworks amnesty program, please call the Fire Prevention Branch at 932-2911 (Hilo) or 323-4760 (Kona).