Living in the Path of Mauna Loa, the World's Biggest Active Volcano

People living in the path of Mauna Loa, the world's biggest active volcano, have told Newsweek that they are concerned for their homes as it rumbles to life.

Mauna Loa rises 13,000 feet above sea level and is one of the five volcanoes that make up the Big Island of Hawaii.

In mid-September, the volcano entered a state of heightened unrest, meaning there was increased earthquake activity and inflation detected at its summit, according to updates from the United States Geological Survey's (USGS).

Officials continue to stress that the activity does not mean an eruption is imminent.

Mauna Loa last erupted from March 25 to April 15 in 1984. While there was significant damage to power lines and roads were blocked due to the lava flow, nobody was hurt.

In past days, the USGS has held meetings to discuss safety measures for those who would be directly affected if an eruption did take place.

On October 22, a meeting was held to discuss safety measures to residents of Ocean View—a community that lies in the Kaʻū district, towards the volcano's Northeast Rift Zone. About a quarter of past eruptions have taken place there. If an eruption did take place, lava could reach the community in hours.

'We Are concerned'

"We are concerned. We haven't thought too much about the volcano, even in 2018 when a [Kīlauea] eruption happened on the east side of the island. We knew it would not touch our homes," Ocean View resident Laura Roberts told Newsweek.

Kīlauea is another large volcano on the island of Hawaii. It is considered more dangerous than Mauna Loa, due to the nature of its eruptions.

"Here in Ocean View, [Mauna Loa's] lava could reach the ocean in less than three hours and our homes faster than that. We are on the rift zone so fissures could open [here]. It's a weird feeling to know that there is a possibility of losing your home. It also makes us feel like we should not travel because what if something happens and we can't evacuate our important things and animals," Roberts said.

Eruptions at Mauna Loa are not as dangerous when compared to other volcanoes. This is because its eruptions do not tend to be explosive. But heavy lava flow has the potential to take out homes.

Greater Suffering

Another Ocean view resident Joel William Rogers told Newsweek that communities who would be most affected by an eruption are also among the more financially disadvantaged.

"Often my friends from the mainland who follow the news get the idea that it's a tiny island and everyone will be covered by lava or something dramatic like a Hollywood film. In reality all the recent lava flows have been close to a hundred miles from where I live. I was a part of a lava evacuation team during the 2014 [Kīlauea] eruptions in Puna, Hawaii. That was quite dramatic to have lava taking out houses. Again, all of that was about a three-hour drive from my home," Rogers said. "I am grateful that national news media seems to notice and talk about it when we have natural disasters like lava, tsunamis or hurricanes here in Hawaii. I know many parts of the world that go unmentioned despite much greater suffering."

'Losing All That They Own'

Jennifer McCoy attended the recent meeting held for nearby residents. McCoy told Newsweek that "most people" remain very concerned about Mauna Loa's increased activity.

"There was a large turnout at the local community center regarding emergency procedures and the status of the volcano. Some left the meeting feeling that there was a lack of information with real substance, while others felt that there was good information," McCoy said. "Most people I've spoken to in the community are not only worried about the possibility of losing their home to lava but also the potential for losing all that they own to looters who would take advantage of homes left untouched by the lava."