Tourists had been visiting White Island in New Zealand for over 30 years. Despite it being an active volcano, no one had ever been injured by it erupting before. On December 9, 2019, there were multiple tour groups visiting the island when it started to erupt. Because White Island is a stratovolcano, it isn’t lava that erupts out of it, but steam. There were forty-seven people on the island when it erupted. Twenty-two people lost their lives, but the rest survived. The survivors have overcome horrific burns but that’s nothing compared to the psychological trauma that comes with surviving a catastrophic event.
In the midst of all this chaos and pain and terror, there were ordinary people who did extraordinarily brave things to help others. Ordinary people who defied orders in order to save lives. The stories of these survivors and rescuers prove that you can always find goodness and hope if you look for it.
Come along with Hannah and Bob as they discuss demontors, pyroclastic surges, the Titanic, and Star Wars.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussions of natural disasters, severe injuries, and PTSD. Listener discretion is advised.
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Sources:
Earth Sciences New Zealand. (2014, September 2). Volcano alerts in New Zealand. Earth Sciences New Zealand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeZxW2xyam0&t=20s
GeoNet. (n.d.). Volcanic alert levels. GeoNet. https://www.geonet.org.nz/about/volcano/val
Netflix. (2022, December 16). The volcano: Rescue from Whakaari. Netflix.
U.S. Geological Survey. (n.d.). Volcanic alert-levels characterize conditions at U.S. volcanoes. USGS. https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes
Waghorn, K. (2026). Surviving White Island. Harper Collins Publishers
