How do you keep up with the latest news about the volcano?

I rely on multiple sources to tell me about conditions on the ground and where the threats are highest. Residents call or send me text and social media messages. I get updates from government and emergency management workers and the National Guard. And live notices go out via cellphone.

What do things look like now?

There’s a fast-moving lava flow going to another section of the Lower Puna community. Cellphone service has been cut off because power lines and cell towers are down. A major thoroughfare has been cut off and many families had to evacuate in the middle of the night. Local agriculture is devastated. Farms have been overrun by lava or crops have died due to volcanic gases in the air.

What are some of the dangers?

The direct threats to residents and first responders are the lava flow, which has created a 2,400-acre lava field and destroyed over 100 structures, and the volcanic gases. The volcano emits sulfur dioxide, which at high concentrations can be a health hazard especially for children, the elderly and people with respiratory illness.

The broader threat is gaseous vog and ash — vog is the volcanic form of fog. It not only threatens the immediate community but depending on how the wind travels is potentially dangerous to other communities miles away.

What precautions should travelers take?

We don’t recommend and actually discourage tourists from visiting the active volcano area. Resources are strained. First responders — police, fire, civil defense and the National Guard — are focused on evacuations and keeping residents safe. The situation is continually changing and evolving. Now is not the time for tourists to blanket the area.