SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Two days after the world's largest active volcano began spewing lava for the first time in nearly 40 years, residents of Hawaii's Big Island are searching for some kind of normalcy to their daily routine.
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The glow from the Mauna Loa crater is much dimmer than it was in the first hours after Sunday's eruption, but lava is still flowing out the sides of the mountain. Southwest canceled flights to Hilo out of caution, and the air quality and visibility remain poor.
"Mauna Loa takes up half of our island," Julie Ziemelis told KCBS Radio. "The Big Island is the size of Connecticut, so you can imagine if a volcano went off in the middle of a state and no one knew what it was going to do next."
Ziemelis is a 17-year Big Island resident and runs the YouTube channel "365Hawaii," where she publishes vlogs.
She said while the immediate panic may have subsided, people are still unsure of what to do next.
Ziemelis has friends in a historic lava flow zone who packed up their house and evacuated, even though there was no order. "He and his wife, who packed up their house, and they're like okay what are we doing here," she said. "His boss is calling him in Kona, 'so hey are you coming in?' because the lava kind of slowed down."
Ziemelis' son told her half of his school's students didn't show up for class on Monday and a friend in the restaurant business said half of the employees skipped the day as well.
"Down in Kona, 'oh we're not going to be open. Our staff has to take care of their families and pets, so I hope you understand no mai tais today for you,'" Ziemelis explained.
The Hawaii local expects to see an influx of visitors to the Big Island following the volcanic eruption, made up of scientists and tourists hoping to get a look at Mauna Loa.
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