Ka`u News Briefs March 27, 2011

Ko Aloha `Ukulele were built from koa by Ka`u youth. The group visited KAHU FM 91.7                            Photo by Julia Neal 

LAVA RETURNED TO KILAUEA VOLCANO’S EAST RIFT ZONE yesterday after a 17-day pause in eruptive activity. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports the eruption began at 10:09 a.m. inside Pu‘u ‘O‘o, with lava slowly filling the deepest parts of the crater. The event was heralded by a brief seismic tremor burst, in which tremor levels doubled and tslowly decreases. Jim Kauahikaua, Scientist in Charge, said, “Lava is currently confined to the Pu‘u ‘O‘o crater and, so far, poses no threat to structures within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park or outside Park boundaries.”  

Composite photo from temporary webcam placed at Pu`O`o shows new lava.
                                                                                                     Photo from HAVO

      On March 5, Pu‘u ‘O‘o crater’s floor, on which lava accumulated to a depth of nearly 250 feet during the past year, began to collapse. A fissure opened southwest of Pu‘u ‘O‘o and fountains of lava erupted, extending to Napau Crater. Lava continued to erupt from this  Ka-moa-moa fissure until the night of March 9, when all activity on Kilauea’s east rift zone paused. Since then, no lava had erupted from east rift zone vents until yesterday. Visit the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Web site at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov and see the webcam.

Triangles show hot spot targets of firefighters who control the Napau Fire, which has burned more than 2,00 acres.
                                                                                                                                                             Map from Napau Fire Crew

 THE NAPAU FIRE containment has reached beyond 50 percent with firefighters working on hot spots throughout the 2,000 acres of burned forest. The team from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and from other national parks, national forests and recreational areas on the mainland  has protected Special Ecological Areas. The fires was ignited by lava from the eruption that began March 5.

Alan Okami, of Ko Aloha,  Keoki Kahumoku
                                        Photo by Julia Neal

MORE THAN 30 `UKULELE are going home with the youth of Ka`u this weekend after an `ukulele building workshop sponsored by Ko Aloha `Ukulele, Keioki Kahumoku, the Queen Liliu`okalani Trust, Pahala Plantation Cottages and the Edmund C. Olson Trust. Alan and Paul Okami, of Ko Aloha `Ukulele, which manufactures the musical instruments on O`ahu, brought their crew to Pahala to teach students how to build them. The `ukulele are made of koa and the workshop saw parents, grandparents, aunties, and uncles helping the younger children to construct their `ukulele. Ko Aloha has sponsored similar workshops on Moloka`i and plans to come back to Ka`u for another `ukulele build in October.

ABOUT FACE, JUMP START AND COMMUNITY ALL STARS programs, which have been helping Ka`u youth for years with after-school training, are all on the chopping block and they end in April. The reason is a cut in federal funding that comes was going to the state Department of Defense and managed by the Paxen Group. The program not only eliminates training for youth, it eliminates employment for the Ka`u residents who teach the young people. Also unlikely, this summer, is a program that hired more than 100 Ka`u youth for summer jobs at such places at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, the hospital and for community groups throughout the district.

Jump Start kids raised money to help a family whose house burned in Na`alehu. The Jump Start, All Star and About Face programs are being dropped.
                                                                                                                                                                            Photo by India Young

 THE DAMAGE FROM THE JAPAN TUSNAMI that reached our shores on March 11 totals more than $30 million to the Islands, according to state estimates. Gov. Neil Abercrombie asked for the Small Business Administration to help homeowners, businesses, nonprifits and renters with low-interest loans for repairs on the Big Island. On the southside it was homes in Honomolino, Okoe and Kapua Bays that were damaged. The governor will also ask Pres. Barack Obama for a disaster declaration which would provide some reimbursement to counties for repair of public infrastructure, like Ali`i Drive in Kona.

No dangerous radiation  here, but more evacuations possible in Japan.

RADIATION CONTINUES TO ESCAPE from the damaged nuclear reactor farm on the northern coast of Honshu Island. Nuclear expert Joe Cirincione said that he doesn’t expect any radiation problem here. 

However, the end result could be spikes of radiation in Japan and the possibility of thousands more people 

      Small amounts of radiation have reached Las Vegas, but in tiny amounts and the health departments say not to worry.