Why do so many people live near volcanoes, challenge death?

Living near a volcano can be dangerous for your family but also offers some benefits.

Last week, the ground in the residential area of ​​Leilani Estates, Hawaii, cracked, began spraying toxic fumes and lava. At that time, 1,700 residents of the neighborhood evacuated to shelters.

Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. Its lava often flows towards the ocean, but this time, it flows into the mainland.

This raises the question: Why do so many people live near active volcanoes?

According to National Geographic newspaper, the first reason is that many people depend on volcanoes to survive.

The lava of Kilauea volcano spills over Hawaii Street.

Geothermal energy of volcanoes can provide energy for communities living around it. Land near active volcanoes is rich in mineral reserves and is a great farming place. A lot of people visit the volcano every year, so the tourism industry also grows with career opportunities at hotels, restaurants, gift shops and tour guides. Or some people simply can't afford to move away.

There are also cultural and religious reasons. Jordan Sonner, a real estate broker living on Hawaii's Big Island, owns a home just outside Leilani Estates. She hurried back to her home to get important documents and pets when she learned the lava erupted.

Sonner told the Washington Post that she was not afraid to lose her home.

'My point is: land does not really belong to us. It belongs to Pele ' , Sonner said, referring to the Hawaii volcanic goddess . 'We live here when we can. If the goddess wants to reclaim the land, she will take it herself. I bought good insurance '.

Many residents living around Mount Kilauea also claim that this is the place to live, based on beauty, people and its desolation.

"We have prepared for this, we know we bought a house in Lava 1," Stacy Welch, whose home in Leilani Estates, told Time. 'We will be fine. We will rebuild '.

Volcanoes also often have a warning that something is about to happen. Small earthquakes, an increase in mountain lava, and a change in the slope of Mount Kilauea in recent weeks have shown that an eruption may occur soon.

Evacuation around the Kilauea volcano is not the only example of how people still live around dangerous areas. In January, Mount Mayon in the Philippines began spraying ash into the air, leaving tens of thousands of people evacuated.

Last November, more than 100,000 people in northeastern Bali island, Indonesia also evacuated when. Thousands of tourists from the resort island must also flee.