The eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano forced the evacuation of thousands of people, with 700 homes being affected by the lava flow. Lava haze, spatter and lava bombs were serious health threats to the people living on the Island of Hawaii. And a series of 18,000 earthquakes meant that the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was forced to close down. But it now seems scientists had predicted the natural disaster.
Volcanologists noticed there was an increase in seismicity since the early spring of 2018, showing signs of an impending eruption.
Lamont volcanologist at Columbia University in Palisades, New York, Einat Lev was one of many volcanologists who were watching the developments at Kilauea very closely.
Lev scanned United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports while keeping in touch with friends and colleagues who were directly monitoring volcanic activity.
The volcanologist has been interested in Kilauea since first studying the lava lake that occupied the summit crater in 2008.
And her study into the Kilauea volcano led to the anticipated eruption on May 3, 2018.
Lev looked at plans for response efforts while placing her team close towards the newly-opened fissures who observed the phenomenon.
According to the Phys report, Lev said: “I didn’t want to go there without coordination,
“Obviously, they closed the region. I tried to work directly with the USGS, but they’re not allowed to work with anyone external, so I had to find other ways.”
Lev’s team supported the effort along with colleagues of the University of Hilo-Hawaii.
The team offered both sophisticated drones and reinforcements to the UH-Hilo team, USGS scientists and emergency-response workers.
The three-person team at Lamont also joined the shifts as the 24/7 monitoring of the volcano situation continued.
Lev highlighted in the report: “We had brand new equipment. It was an opportunity for us to try it within the context of a dynamic event for the first time.
“Our drone has both a standard video camera and an infrared video camera.
“It was very helpful because the team in Hilo had similar equipment but not a single drone that could conduct both video and the thermal imaging at the same time.
“To get that coverage they needed two flights. Using our equipment was faster and more efficient,”Lev and her team, who witnessed the eruption of Kilaeuea added in the report: “It’s different experiencing something with your body and your eardrum from thinking about it mathematically,
“It was definitely the most emotional connection to my subject that I’ve had…ever.
“For us that was the greatest benefit from going there, a chance to develop an intuitive connection to a subject we’ve long been studying from afar.”