Aerial and satellite photos taken over the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s big island reveal the extent of devastation caused by the massive eruption which began on May 3 – destroying 600 homes, roughly 500 of which occurred after the most recent eruption, which sent lava coursing through the communities of Kapoho beach and Vacationland. While thousands of people have been evacuated from the region, officials fear up to a dozen residents who refused to leave are dead. 

The USGS notes that an estimated 4008.2 million cubic feet of lava has saturated the Eastern side of the Big Island – which would fill 45,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, or 11 million dump trucks – enough to cover Manhattan Island up to a depth of six feet

Aerial footage shows the flow front covering nearly a mile of coastline spewing toxic steam, also known as “vog,” which will be blown inland until at least Sunday. 

Meanwhile, fissure #8 is belching a steady fountain of lava up to 230 feet in the air. 

Flow map as of Friday:

A helicopter flyover of the crater shows the funnel-shaped collapsed floor with a deeper cylindrical shaft filled with rubble. 

A special mention goes out to the USGS Volcano social media team (@USGSVolcanoes, Facebook), who have been working hard to provide a constant flow of critical updates and stunning footage of the ongoing Kilauea eruption, along with fun facts:

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