The Eruption! Stories of Survival

[@cmyanmar13]

They kept saying the volcano had only ever erupted at night as if that makes it better... the volcano doesn't know whether it's day or night..

[@Cnsalmoni]

Exactly

[@alison9642]

You just don’t think it could happen to you. What is the likelihood it would happen ? Yes, there is a numbering system to indicate the activity of the volcano. I watched the footage of the volcanic eruption with horror/fascination. It is amazing how everybody worked together to get people back to mainland as quickly as possible.

[@SilverSnowstorm]

So horrific that the tour guides and visitors had to witness this god erupting with no sign. The trauma the survivors and helpers must have gone through. I couldn’t imagine the pain, imagery and life changing injuries that will stick with them forever. My those who died R.I.P 🥀💐 I went with my parents as a Christmas holiday back in 2007/2008 to New Zealand and did a bus trip around the shores where the volcano is and seeing an island in the distance. I didn’t realise it was Whakaari / White Island.

[@alexbaines2477]

Would u say that was a major eruption over a minor one? Ever so sad, I remember going to college the morning after and everyone talking about it and all we said was, so close to Christmas so so sad for all the lives lost 😢😢❤❤

[@keepmoving1185]

Wooo!! Space rip dropped!

[@swenic]

Wait a minute. Was the cool big ass rockabilly dude the same dude that was identified in the morgue by his family toe and _also_ the same dude whose body was left on the island by the defense force recovery team, and then presumed to have been carried into the sea by rain fall.. never to be recovered?

[@Cnsalmoni]

No, the kid (Jake) with the family toe survived, but with terrible scars. He wasn’t in the morgue.

[@Janitaa95]

Impressive!

[@androwaydie4081]

Two things : Common sense & self preservation

[@aphoticjellyfish]

The owners of the volcano knew it was at a Level 2 danger out of 3 levels…….they didn’t tell any of the tourists

[@10_rds_Fire_For_Effect]

@@aphoticjellyfish You are exactly right. There are 6 official levels. Level 0 is a sleeping volcano. Level 1 is volcanic unrest (not erupting). Level 2 is HIGH UNREST AND HIGH RISK OF ERUPTION. Level 3 is in minor eruption. Level 4 is in major eruption. Level 5 is in massive eruption. Under no possible circumstances should unwary tourists ever be taken into an active volcano's crater at level 2. Local tourism industry livelihoods at stake cannot justify playing Russian roulette with peoples lives. On this occasion, local tourism industry profits came first, safety last. Most of those people would not have booked if they had known what level 2 actually was, and that would have mean't loss of profits. Explaining the risk would have scared off customers. So the tour operators simply kept their mouths shut. On that day Whakaari went from L2 to L3 in a flash. Whakaari is now at Level 3 and has been continuously erupting for several months now. The Island is completely off-limits to all.

[@milesstyles7428]

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes...