Statement from Hawaii Governor David Ige’s office: “Mauna Loa’s continuing seismic activity is causing concern for some residents on Hawai’i island, but there are no signs an eruption is imminent. Hawai’i County emergency managers and experts on volcano geology will hold the latest in a series of briefings to update the public on the situation this evening in Pāhala.”
“Both the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency (HCDA) and the Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) have increased monitoring of the volcano. The United States Geologic Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) has been issuing daily reports on Mauna Loa’s activity since September but has indicated its scientists have seen no indications of an immediate threat. ‘Mauna Loa continues to be in a state of heightened unrest,’ said Ken Hon, chief scientist at HVO, in the observatory’s most recent report on the active volcano. However, Hon noted, ‘the current increase in activity does not suggest that a progression to an eruption is certain.’ HCDA has been posting daily snapshots via social media of Mauna Loa’s activity, based on data from HVO, including the current alert level, status, and a recap of activity over the previous 24 hours. ‘Under current conditions an eruption from Mauna Loa is not imminent,’ said Talmadge Magno, Hawai’i County civil defense administrator. ‘We’re reminding people to take this opportunity to register for county emergency alert messages and prepare or review their plans to be ready for any disaster.'”