A new vog report lists 48 recommendations for dealing with the problem that has damaged crops, worsened people's medical conditions and adversely affected livestock on the Big Island.

With no end in sight to the eruption that began in March at Halema'uma'u Crater, the House Special Committee was formed to exam the issues and make suggestions that could be implemented or used to shape legislation when the Legislature meets in January.

Kilauea Volcano has been erupting on the Big Island for 24 years most recently from the Pu'u O'o vent, but the recent eruption at Halema'uma'u vent has created vog problems on all the islands especially in the Ka'u and South Kona districts of the Big Island. The area covers about 1,200 square miles — the size of O'ahu — and is home to about 25,000 people.

High levels of sulfur dioxide that can turn into acid during wet conditions has closed schools, ruined crops and created a chain reaction of problems that's escalating damages, said state Rep. Bob Herkes, D-5th (Ka'u, S. Kona). At times the vog is so thick people in Ocean View can't see their neighbor's home, said Herkes, who headed the vog-effects committee.

"It's an ongoing natural disaster," he declared.

Herkes and other Big Island representatives made up the committee that held meetings with experts, heard from residents and produced a 19-page document called the House Special Committee on Vog Effects Report.

The first recommendation calls for establishing a central point of contact for the public to get information "without having to navigate through a disjointed web of phone calls," the report said.

Herkes said one flower grower had lost everything due to sulfur emissions. Bees won't fly, so citrus aren't pollinated and honey isn't made, he said, adding that a goat breeder can't find grass and his animals have eye problems. He's thinking of getting out, Herkes said.

"I have people in Pahala who have lived there for generations and their doctor says you have to leave," he said. "As I talk to people in the district, I sense more and more psychological problems. When sugar went out, we had a series of suicides and I don't want to see that happen."

Committee recommendations call for working with city, state and federal agencies on such things as water quality issues, crop protection and health problems. Other recommendations call for granting tax relief to farmers, collecting economic impact data and establishing a plan for residents who might have to relocate.

The University of Hawai'i, the state departments of Health and Agriculture, and the Department of Defense are engaged with the community and trying to solve some of the problems, according to the report.

HMSA and Kaiser Permanente have agreed to review health records in order to better understand the effects vog has on patients, the report said.

With the eruption predicted to continue and the damage growing, a response from the government can't wait any longer, Herkes said. Civil Defense is used to responding after a disaster but this ongoing event is taking a toll and government needs to react now, he said.

"The biggest concern that I have is who's in charge," Herkes said.