Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes was Originally Posted on December 30, 2009 by lavarock

Here on the Big Island, we are experiencing 3 wildfires, all near me. The smoke can be quite bad at times.

Perhaps recent storms (the one with the waterspout) had rare lightning, and that sparked the fires becaus eof our drought. In any event, the one near me has burned over 1500 acres (probably lots more by now). It is 6 miles above here and at the 6,000 foot mark. That is above the rain line. There is a farm/ranch up there which you can see above Captain Cook, if you look at Google Earth.

If you have traveled from the Mainland to Hawaii you would have gotten some turbulence midway from the jetstream. It comes down from the north and spilts, sending weather both west and east from there. Thus, the mainlands weather comes from Hawaii’s direction and Hawaii’s weather comes from the the direction of the mainland.

Since our weather comes generally from the east, the volcanic smoke and these fires all contribute to our current bad air. I have been getting a sore throat and runny nose because of it. Peple with regular breathing problems are really having problems now.

I mentioned a few weeks back seeing a D-10 bulldozer coming through Kainalua and causing traffic t ostop. This was on its way south and then up the mountain to help fight this first fire. The D-10 is larger than the D-9 shown on the photos page at my website at http://ItsKona.Com.

Although they have used firebreaks and other protections, the County thinks it is most cost-effective to let the fires burn themselves out, much to the dismay of the residents. I know it is a balancing act, but gee whiz!

Although some have it worse than me, I understand their reasoning, but other residents are fuming (pun intended).