At its recent luncheon, the Big Island Press Club presented the Torch of Light Award to the scientists at USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and thanked them for their outstanding work during the 2014 Pahoa lava flow.
At its recent luncheon, the Big Island Press Club presented the Torch of Light Award to the scientists at USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and thanked them for their outstanding work during the 2014 Pahoa lava flow.
The Torch of Light award is given to an individual or organization that brightens the public’s right to know.
As Kilauea’s 2014 lava flow took aim at Pahoa Village, the team at HVO worked tirelessly to keep updated and accurate information available to the media and to residents.
“While they are skilled and dedicated scientists, they are not typically tasked with working so closely with the public,” said Nancy Cook Lauer, BIPC president. “Working alongside county, state and federal agencies — including the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency — team members managed to take a complicated, unpredictable situation and provide easy-to-understand information that helped relieve residents’ stress.”
Founded by Thomas Jaggar in 1912, HVO conducts research on the volcanoes of Hawaii and works with emergency-response officials to protect people and property from earthquakes and volcano-related hazards.
The Big Island Press Club was founded in 1967. For more information, visit www.BigIslandPressClub.org.