Department of Defense

When A Sleeping Giant Awakened, HI-DOD Stepped Up To Assist

Story by Jill Matsumoto | HI-EMA | December 21, 2022

On November 27, 2022, Mauna Loa treated Hawai‘i and the rest of the world to a spectacular volcanic eruption 38 years in the making. And starting weeks before the first moments of the eruption, Hawai‘i Department of Defense personnel were helping to protect the people of the Big Island.

The Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency, United States Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency had been monitoring the volcano well before the eruption. While scientists tracked the signs of magma movement, State, federal and local officials coordinated efforts to ensure that the public would be prepared and have access to the best information available. County officials and USGS scientists held community outreach sessions to answer questions from anxious and curious residents, with support and assistance from HIEMA’s External Affairs team and DOD’s Public Affairs Office.

Once the eruption began, local, state, and federal partners worked together to keep the public informed and safe. HI-EMA sent teams to Hilo to provide support and assistance, working alongside their Civil Defense partners in the county’s Emergency Operations Center. Hawai‘i National Guard personnel provided security and helped keep traffic flowing smoothly through the viewing route designated by the county; over 20,000 vehicles would eventually use the route for viewing the eruption before the lava dwindled to a stop on Dec. 13, 2022.

– 2022 Winter Pūpūkahi pp. 3