No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
Reserve & National Guard

Volcano Response Ongoing for Hawaii Guardsmen

Bianca Strzalkowski
by Bianca Strzalkowski
June 22, 2018

The recent volcanic eruption in Hawaii continues to keep soldiers and airmen busy as lava flows at a rate of 26,000 gallons per second, according to Lt. Col. Charles Anthony of the Hawaii National Guard.

The Hawaii National Guard was first activated on May 7th to assist the local county with the Kilauea volcano eruption. Initially, the unit was the only resource capable of safely conducting certain operations—including handling the mass influx of media outlets to the big island.

Adaptable training

Anthony, who has served with the Guard for 28 years, said the unit trains annually for similar events through “one big hurricane exercise.” He adds, even though the training isn’t specific to volcanic activity, it does prepare Guardsmen with similar command-and-control and logistics skills that translate into the roles required for managing the aftermath of such an eruption.

He describes the current lava flow as “quite spectacular, almost mesmerizing in terms of the visuals.”

“I’ve been pretty close, within a few hundred yards of very active fissures and I’ve seen lava shooting 300 feet into the air and then some … It’s not just what you see with the lava, but it’s really about what you hear and feel because when lava’s just fountaining up through a fissure in the ground, sometimes the vibration of it reminds me very much of being out on the runway when F-15s are taking off with full external fuel tanks. Sometimes your rib cage just ripples from the vibration of it all,” Anthony said.

Helping families find ‘home’ 

Tech. Sgt. Tara Broad from the Washington State National Guard, 10th Civil Support Team and Staff Sgt. Brandon Santos, Guam National Guard, 94th Civil Support Team, brief Maj. Jeff Hickman on the atmospheric conditions as lava from the Kilauea volcano continues to threaten and destroy the Puna Neighborhood. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Tech. Sgt Andrew Jackson)

Guardsmen have been tapped for multiple missions since the onset of the eruption, including providing security, air monitoring, and aiding thousands of families evacuated from their homes.

“ … civil support teams have been doing air quality monitoring of certain gases being released from volcanic activity—including sulfuric acid as well as hydrochloric acid. We had soldiers and airmen who’ve been supplementing police departments at checkpoints to keep non-residents out of evacuation zones,” Anthony explained. “They also having roving patrols, they are out there driving in Humvees in neighborhoods that are mostly evacuated and abandoned. They are there to ensure looters don’t break into people’s homes while they’re not there.”

The Hawaii National Guard has also been part of an aviation task force on standby for mass evacuations, he added.

More recently, engineers from the unit have assisted in the construction of micro-shelters. The Sacred Heart Shelter will house families impacted by evacuations.

Hawaii National Guard hard at work on micro-shelter project. Photo by Master Sgt. Christopher Schepers.

‘A very active situation’ remains

While national attention has moved to other domestic issues, circumstances on the ground in Hawaii remain uncertain.

“It’s still a very active situation. The only thing that’s really changed or stabilized is the lava has pretty much taken all the homes and communities that were in its path. As we speak, there really aren’t any other homes or communities that are currently threatened, although fissure #8 continues to pump out lava at the rate of about 26,000 gallons per second. As long as the lava keeps moving, it keeps flowing, it’s winding its way from the fissure down to the ocean where it’s actually adding more land to the big island,” he said.

Even though Hawaii residents are no strangers to the threat of volcanoes, Lt. Col. Anthony says this event is unique because it happened in the middle of a neighborhood. He added that soldiers and airmen will remain on the ground as long as lava continues flowing.

Read comments
Tags: Hawaii National Guard
Bianca Strzalkowski

Bianca Strzalkowski

Bianca Strzalkowski has more than 10 years of experience in storytelling. Her portfolio includes interviews with former Secretary of Defense Gen. James Mattis, Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown, “Shark Tank” CEO Daymond John, and countless elected and military leaders. Bianca holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and journalism. She resides near Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, with her husband and two children. She is a member of the Military Reporters & Editors Association.

Related Posts

AFRC, Mercy hospitals training agreement benefits multiple parties

by Allison Churchill
2 weeks ago
0
Mercy

An agreement between Air Force Reserve Command and Mercy allows reservists in medical fields to train at the Catholic hospital...

Read more

Ohio Guard quietly removed guardsman guilty of making ghost guns last year

by Military.com
2 weeks ago
0
Ice covers the "Minuteman" statue in front of the Ohio Air National Guard Headquarters building, Dec. 20, 2016. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Joe Harwood\Released)

The Ohio National Guard says it booted a guardsman who was sentenced for making ghost guns from its ranks months...

Read more

National Guard, reserve veterans among IAVA’s advocacy all-stars

by AmeriForce Staff
3 weeks ago
0
IAVA

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America's (IAVA) All-Star Advocacy Fly-In on Capitol Hill included several reserve component veterans.

Read more

Military services will amend COVID vaccine-refuser records so they aren’t passed over for promotions

by Military.com
3 weeks ago
0
Vaccine

All military services are reworking their policies to adjust separation & promotion records for those who refused the COVID-19 vaccine.

Read more

Space National Guard gets renewed push from lawmakers

by Military.com
4 weeks ago
0
Space National Guard

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are once again backing a bill that would create a Space National Guard.

Read more

Ukraine support: Meet the reservists who give the U.S. an ‘unmatched advantage’

by Kari Williams
4 weeks ago
0
Joint Transportation Reserve Unit

The Joint Transportation Reserve Unit of TRANSCOM gives the U.S. and 'unmatched advantage' in the United States' support of Ukraine.

Read more

Ads

Let's get social

The RNG Drill

News delivered directly to your inbox

Let's connect!

ABOUT US

  • OUR STORY
  • OUR TEAM
  • OUR WRITERS

MAGAZINE

  • GET PRINT
  • GET DIGITAL
  • GET THE NEWSLETTER

GET RESOURCES

  • VETERANS TOOLKIT

ADVERTISE

  • GET OUR MEDIA KIT
  • PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

SUBMISSIONS

  • PITCH US
  • SUBMIT YOUR STORY

Never miss out on the latest stories.

© 2021 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Privacy Policy | Terms | Site by Swiss Commerce

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • YOUR CAREER
    • UNIT TRAINING
    • DEPLOYMENT
    • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
    • RECRUITING & RETENTION
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • TRANSITION
  • EDUCATION
  • MILITARY LIFE
    • MILITARY SPOUSES
    • MILITARY KIDS
    • PARENTING
  • OFF DUTY
    • ENTERTAINMENT
    • TRAVEL
  • HEALTH
    • FITNESS
    • MEDICINE
    • MENTAL HEALTH
  • SPORTS
  • OPINION
  • HISTORY
  • MONEY
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • BENEFITS
  • GET THE MAGAZINE
    • PRINT MAGAZINES
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINES
    • GET THE NEWSLETTER
  • RESOURCES
    • VETERANS TOOLKIT
  • ABOUT US
    • MEET OUR TEAM
    • OUR AUTHORS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
    • SUBMIT YOUR STORY
    • PITCH US
    • CONTACT

© 2022 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Site by SCBW

Skip to toolbar
  • About WordPress
    • WordPress.org
    • Documentation
    • Support
    • Feedback
  • AMP
    • View AMP version