President Obama and the first lady visited troops at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Christmas, thanking them for their service to the nation.
The President acknowledged the birth of Christ in his message to the troops.
“So on a day when we celebrate the Prince of Peace and many of us count our blessings, one of the greatest blessings we have is the extraordinary dedication and sacrifices you all make,” Obama said according to ABC News. “We could not be more thankful. I know I speak for everyone in the entire country when I say, we salute you.”
The President spent the majority of the time talking about the end of the U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan at the end of the year.
“Next week we will be ending our combat mission in Afghanistan. Because of the extraordinary service of the men and women in the Armed Forces, Afghanistan has a chance to rebuild its own country. We are safer. It’s not going to be a source of terrorist attacks again. And we still have some very difficult missions around the world, including in Iraq,” Obama continued.
“We still have folks in Afghanistan helping the Afghan security forces. We have people helping to deal with Ebola in Africa and obviously we have folks stationed all around the world. But the world is better, it’s safer, it’s more peaceful, it’s more prosperous and our homeland is protected because of you and the sacrifices each and every day.”
Over 2,000 U.S. troops died during the Afghan war.
Vice President Biden and his wife visited troops at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland.
As the lava flow from Kilauea continues to progress into the town of Pahoa, city officials are being informed by scientists that it’s likely the town will be cut in half if the lava continues its current path.
The flow is expected to reach Pahoa Village Road late Wednesday, cutting off one of the two major roadways where residents can escape the lava flow. The second road, Highway 130, is only half a mile from the Pahoa Village Road.
Officials say they are resisting mandatory evacuation orders despite the lava igniting a tire fire at a dump in the flow path. The toxic smoke from the fire is reportedly blowing away from residential areas.
Matt Patrick of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says the flow is moving erratically and is causing problems for forecasters trying to predict path and speed.
The lava’s pace had picked up when it reached a gully. The flow could then move like rain in a gutter.
The state of Hawaii has announced they will create a staging area where residents of the community of Pahoa will be able to watch the lava from the Kilauea volcano consume their homes.
Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira told the Associated Press it’s a way to help the residents find “a means of closure” in the situation.
The lava was reported to be 70 yards from the first home in its path on Tuesday morning.
A spokeswoman for the Hawaii Volcano Observatory said that the lava’s pace is being controlled by the topography of the area and in some places has slowed significantly as the lava moves up small inclines.
Oliveira says that many of the residents in the path of the volcano have already made arrangements to live somewhere else or have just left their homes in anticipation of the lava. He said he doesn’t believe he will need to issue a mandatory evacuation order.
The last time lava threatened homes was in 2011, when one home was destroyed before the lava changed course.
The lava flow from a Hawaiian volcano is threatening to overtake a town.
The flow from the Kilauea volcano, which has been continuously erupting since 1983, has crossed the border of the community of Pahoa. The flow covered the town’s cemetery over the weekend and is steadily progressing toward homes.
“The flow continues to remain active and has advanced approximately 275 yards since yesterday morning,” government officials reported Monday morning.
The Associated Press says the lava flow has been slowly moving toward the town for the last two years. The governor has asked for a Presidential disaster declaration to make federal money available for evacuation and relocation of the town’s residents.
“The effect of the destruction and/or isolation of the businesses and other institutions in Pahoa will be devastating to the entire Puna District,” the governor wrote in his request, according to West Hawaii Today.
Hawaii could be facing another hurricane.
Tropical Storm Ana is moving toward Hawaii after increasing in strength from a tropical depression to tropical storm Monday. Forecasters say the storm will likely reach Category 1 hurricane status before it makes landfall on the Big Island Saturday morning.
“Traditionally, tropical systems struggle to maintain strength as they approach Hawaii from the southeast,” said AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Evan Duffey. “However, abnormally warm water south of Hawaii could support an organized tropical system surviving into Hawaii.”
Even if the storm falls back to tropical storm status, it will still bring flooding, high surf, strong winds and heavy rain to the entire state.
The storm will be the second time this year Hawaii is hit with a major tropical storm. Hurricane Iselle struck the islands in August, marking the first time since record keeping began in 1950 that a storm of hurricane intensity struck the islands.
Hawaii residents dodged one bullet when Hurricane Iselle weakened before making landfall Friday.
Tropical Storm Iselle was still the first named storm to strike the islands in 22 years.
The storm game ashore around 2:30 a.m. local time just outside of Pahala. The storm carried sustained winds of 60 m.p.h. No deaths or major injuries have been reported so far.
Officials say that heavy rain has been falling on the island of Oahu that has been causing localized flooding. Roadways have been impassible and residents have been told to avoid traveling. Downed trees have blocked the H-1 freeway.
Power is out to large parts of the islands. Officials confirmed at least 21,000 homes are in the dark and the total is likely to climb as the storm continues.
Hurricane Julio, which has strengthened to a Category 3 storm, is now tracking to move just north of the islands but could still bring heavy rain from the outer bands to the areas currently being hit by Iselle.
Hawaii, preparing for the landfall of Hurricane Iselle, was struck with a 4.5 magnitude earthquake Thursday morning.
The quake struck just off the northwest tip of the big island at a depth of 7.9 miles. Hawaiian officials said there were no immediate reports of damage but that surveys were not a priority due to the pending arrival of Hurricane Iselle.
The hurricane is the first of two that could strike the islands before the end of the week. Hurricane Iselle will make landfall on the big island tonight around 8pm local time and Hurricane Julio could hit the islands two days later.
Forecasters say it’s possible that Julio will turn north and only the outer bands of the storm will strike the islands.
Hawaii has not been hit head-on by a hurricane in 22 years. Residents have been stocking up on supplies and boarding up homes. Water is reportedly being sold at multiple times regular price because of shortages throughout the islands.
A Hawaiian court has dismissed the majority of a lawsuit that a pair of anti-Christianists brought against area churches saying they were defrauding local public schools of rental fees.
Mitchell Kahle and Holly Huber had filed a lawsuit claiming that five churches had defrauded school districts by coercing them into lower fees on rents and utility charges by submitting false records.
The complaint filed in the First Circuit Court of Hawaii said the churches owe the government $5.6 million because of discounted rates and for use of the facilities longer than allowed by contracts. The anti-Christian duo filed under the state’s False Claims Act.
Judge Virginia Crandall said that there was insufficient evidence that the churches violated any laws.
The Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the churches, says that the churches were facing frivolous claims from people who just want to harass Christians.
“The only thing these churches have done is serve the schools and bring great benefit to their surrounding communities,” ADF Senior Counsel Erik Stanley said in a written statement. “No one benefits from this suit except the two atheists bringing it, who stand to gain financially if they are successful.”
A pipe’s failure led to tons of molasses being dumped into a Hawaii harbor near Honolulu killing all the marine life in its path.
Over 1,400 tons of molasses was released into the ocean creating over 200,000 gallons of sugar water. In addition, the molasses is sinking to the bottom of the ocean and coating the sea floor. Fish and other marine life are unable to escape the sticky substance and die from lack of oxygen. Continue reading →
Hawaii is under tropical storm watches and warnings as Tropical Storm Flossie travels directly toward the islands.
Flossie’s western track is placing this sixth named storm of the Pacific hurricane season on a path to hit the islands head-on. However, forecasters are predicting that cooler water will weaken the storm before it makes landfall on the “big island” of Hawaii. Continue reading →