Page 3 - aruba-today-20221129

A3
U.S. NEWS Tuesday 29 November 2022
Hawaii's Mauna Loa starts to erupt, sending ash nearby

By CALEB JONES Scientists had been on alert
Associated Press because of a recent spike
HONOLULU (AP) — The in earthquakes at the sum-
world's largest active vol- mit of the volcano, which
cano spewed some ash last erupted in 1984.
and lava Monday and of- "At this time, it's not a time
ficials said that Mauna Loa to be alarmed," Big Island
wasn't threatening com- Mayor Mitch Roth said.
munities on Hawaii's Big Is- Portions of the Big Island
land but people should be were under an ashfall advi-
prepared for worse. sory issued by the National
The U.S. Geological Survey Weather Service in Honolu-
warned the island's 200,000 lu, which said up to a quar-
residents that an eruption ter-inch (0.6 centimeters) of
"can be very dynamic, and ash could accumulate in
the location and advance some areas.
of lava flows can change Mauna Loa is one of five
rapidly." volcanoes that together
The eruption began late make up the Big Island of
Sunday night in the volca- Hawaii, which is the south-
no on the Big Island follow- ernmost island in the Ha-
ing a series of fairly large waiian archipelago.
earthquakes, said Ken Hon, Mauna Loa, rising 13,679
the scientist-in-charge at In this aerial photo released by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Mauna Loa volcano is seen erupting feet (4,169 meters) above
the Hawaiian Volcano Ob- from vents on the Northeast Rift Zone on the Big Island of Hawaii, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. sea level, is the much larger
Associated Press
servatory. neighbor of Kilauea, which
There's been a surge of de- about 30 miles to the south An eruption from the zone cause it had reports of peo- erupted in a residential
velopment on the Big Island of the volcano, which are could send lava toward the ple evacuating from along neighborhood and de-
in recent decades — its home to about 5,000 peo- county seat of Hilo or other the coast on their own ini- stroyed 700 homes in 2018.
population has more than ple. towns in East Hawaii but it tiative. Some of its slopes are much
doubled to 200,000 from A time-lapse video of the could take lava weeks or The average Mauna Loa steeper than Kilauea's, so
92,000 in 1980 — and many eruption from overnight months to reach populat- eruption is not typically pro- lava can flow much faster
newer residents weren't showed lava lighting up ed areas. longed, lasting a couple of when it erupts.
around when Mauna Loa one area, moving across it "We don't want to try and weeks, Hon said. During a 1950 eruption, the
last erupted 38 years ago. like waves on the ocean. second-guess the volca- "Typically, Mauna Loa mountain's lava traveled 15
Most of the people on the The U.S. Geological Survey no," Hon said. "We have to eruptions start off with the miles (24 kilometers) to the
island live in the city of Kai- said that the eruption had let it actually show us what heaviest volume first," Hon ocean in fewer than three
lua-Kona to the west of the migrated to a rift zone — a it's going to do and then said. "After a few days, it hours.
volcano, which has about place where the moun- we inform people of what starts to calm down a little Tourism is Hawaii's econom-
23,000 people, and Hilo to tain rock is cracked and is happening ASAP." bit." The USGS warned resi- ic engine but Roth predict-
the east, with about 45,000. relatively weak — mak- Hawaii County Civil De- dents at risk from Mauna ed few problems for those
Officials were most worried ing it easier for magma to fense announced that it Loa lava flows to review on vacation during the
about several subdivisions emerge. had opened shelters be- their eruption preparations. eruption.q

Biden boosts U.S. effort to stem sexual violence in war zones

By HOPE YEN give equal consideration of violence." The Biden ad-
Associated Press acts of sexual violence to ministration on Monday
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- other serious human rights pointed to a proliferation
dent Joe Biden is strength- abuses in leveraging sanc- of sexual violence cases in
ening U.S. policy aimed at tions and other punishment Ukraine, Ethiopia and else-
stemming sexual violence against foreign actors. where. It cited a U.N. report
in war conflict zones, el- Currently, U.S. policy allows that found 3,293 verified
evating the problem — in- for the imposition of sanc- sexual violence cases in
creasingly documented tions for conflict-related 2021 across 18 countries,
in Ukraine and elsewhere sexual violence, but it is not an increase of about 800
— to the level of a possible commonly used. compared with the pre-
serious human rights abuse Biden's action comes when vious year. The U.N. has
that triggers sanctions and the United Nations has estimated that for each
other actions against for- warned that sexual vio- rape reported in connec-
eign perpetrators. lence in Ukraine, especially tion with a conflict, about
Biden on Monday signed a against women and girls, 10 to 20 cases go undocu-
presidential memorandum remains prevalent and un- mented. The administration President Joe Biden speaks during the Partnership for Global
that seeks to combat the derreported. U.S. Ambas- had previously pledged Infrastructure and Investment meeting at the G20 summit, Nov.
use of rape by both foreign sador Linda Thomas Green- $400,000 in addition to 15, 2022, in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. Associated Press
governments and individu- field has previously cited its annual contribution of
als as a weapon of war. "a mountain of credible $1.75 million to the Office Department plans an add- ual violence accountability
The memorandum directs reports of atrocities com- of the U.N. Special Repre- ed investment of $5.5 mil- and will expand programs
for the first time that the mitted by Russia's forces sentative to the Secretary lion over the next two years to help survivors and inves-
State and Treasury depart- against civilians," including General on Sexual Vio- to civil society projects and tigate and document acts
ments and other agencies "horrific accounts of sexual lence in Conflict. The State survivor groups seeking sex- of such violence.q