Thread by @GodlessNZ

6.35pm: Press briefing: #WhiteIsland volcanic eruption in New Zealand.

>1 fatality confirmed
>Likely to be more
>A number were injured, in hospital
>Rescuers cannot go onto island atm
>Ashfall impacts local only at this stage

Press Briefing #2 at 9.11pm:

>death toll now 5
>they had been brought back from island
>exact numbers on island & their status still unconfirmed
>volcanologists advise island still too unstable for rescuers to return atm

#WhiteIsland #OvationOfTheSeas #NZvolcano #nzpol

#WhiteIsland volcanic eruption update:

It's just gone 10pm here in NZ, where an offshore volcano erupted while tourists were present, at 2.11pm today.

So far, 5 are confirmed dead, many injured, many missing. I think the toll will rise once crews can access the island again.

Like other disasters, there's been the usual range of misinfo and unwarranted criticism of emergency services and other decision-makers.

I guarantee you every first responder in the Bay wants nothing more than to get to #WhiteIsland tonight - but they know they can't. Period.

I am filled with sadness & compassion for those impacted. #VolcanoTourism is the last thing I'd ever want to do, but I'm human, so I do feel for them. And for their loved ones, many of whom will have had reservations about their vacation choice. To use a cliche, it is what it is.

New Zealand is a small, relatively remote string of islands that has regular natural & manmade disasters. Just this weekend we had all 3 road routes down the South Island cut off by severe flooding & landslides. I lost my internet for 12 hours, along with about 400k others.

It often feels like "what next?" when another earthquake, volcanic eruption, storm, wildfire, or mass casualty event happens. Our neighbor Australia is having the mother of all wildfire seasons, and another neighbor Samoa has lost 70 people in a measles epidemic so far.

I will keep you updated about #WhiteIsland during my waking hours, which are about to end for the day.

This photo is looking North. The ash plume is blowing to the East, where I'd think it would be easier to evacuate from. I'm not confident about their chances, sorry to say.

Something of an answer to a question we've all been asking today:

stuff.co.nz/national/11806…

There are times in life when:

>the regulator says it's safe
>the operator says it's safe

but, IMO

>you should always do your own due diligence.

stuff.co.nz/national/11806…

Official update #3 at 12.10am:

NZ Police believe there are no survivors on #WhiteIsland.

Death toll anywhere from 5 to about 30 people.

Details:

nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/articl…

I'm extremely saddened that so many lost their lives today on #WhiteIsland.

The tragedy will have an economic impact on my country, which is already under economic stress. A flow-on effect.

We need tourists to keep visiting us. Just please stay safe.

Some US citizens are among the missing. Names are listed here.

https://twitter.com/NZRedCross/status/1203935378366840832

Remember - the person could be in the hospital. We will know in time.

#WhiteIsland volcano official update #4, the morning after:

>5 confirmed dead
>8 missing, presumed dead
>3 discharged from hospital
>31 remain in hospital, some critically injured

47 were on the island at the time, 38 of whom were from the cruise ship, incl 1 crew.

Further details not yet released. Those on the island include people from the US, UK, AU, NZ, China & Malaysia.

Authorities will recover the deceased as soon as it is safe to do so. The toxic ash in the air makes it unsafe to visit the island atm.

#WhiteIsland NZ volcano update:

>Casualties status unchanged since 8 hours ago
>One hour ago at 1pm there was a small earthquake in nearby Gisborne
>Quake was a 5.3, but 29km deep so it was very minor in terms of damage
>Quakes happen all the time here, we're used to them.

You can find the latest #WhiteIsland volcano updates at these sites:

nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/articl…

stuff.co.nz/national/11805…

tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-z…

🌋

Speeches are being made in NZ's House of Parliament, and these remarks from the deputy leader of the opposition are poignant. IIRC, some of her ancestry links back to this region.

I do hope that all tourism to #WhiteIsland stops now. Let them rest in peace.

A picture is emerging of the people injured or deceased at #WhiteIsland:

dlvr.it/RKzKBZ

It's amazing that anyone got off of #WhiteIsland alive yesterday. That 34 people did, many with non life-threatening injuries, is credit to the heroic rescuers, including a tourist boat skipper who would have known his crewmate had already died in the eruption.

#Gratitude

We are surrounded by idiots. Around two hours after using an alarmist term to describe the next phase of the police investigation, the NZ Police have corrected their words. This won't help their PR.

I'm embarrassed. I used to work for them.

tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-z…

Every time there is a mass casualty event in NZ, the Police co-ordinate the response & they get some aspects of it wrong, & it harms their image, causing unneeded stress to those affected.

We're too small a country to have the best resources to deal with such events.

National origins of the 47 people on #WhiteIsland at the time of the eruption:

Australia: 24
USA: 9
NZ: 5
Germany: 4
UK: 2
China: 2
Malaysia: 1

Source: NZ Police

Another injured person was declared dead at 10.30pm last night, bringing the confirmed #WhiteIsland death toll to 6.

This take by the leader of the opposition is unwise IMO:

#WhiteIsland NZ update:

Authorities are not going anywhere near the island today to attempt to retrieve the bodies of the deceased.

Kiwis have learned to trust our GNS agency when it comes to the life threatening rumblings of mother earth.

Safety first, finally.

I'm feeling increasingly pissy about some of the opinions being expressed re #WhiteIsland by the local Mayor:

"families are desperate to get their loved ones' bodies back"

"tourism to the island should continue"

etc

She is out of touch with the rest of NZ.

This Mayor is going to alienate the rest of NZ if she keeps going in this vein.

MY thoughts are with the 30 severely-burned people fighting for life in 7 hospitals around the country.

And the years, decades-long, recovery that many of them now face.

Having recognized the human-suffering aspect of this, I now turn to the economic impact on the rest of NZ.

We taxpayers are footing the bill for the rescues, the medical costs, & the depressed local economy from now on.

NZ can't afford continual natural & manmade disasters.

It's an unpopular thing to say but it's my opinion, so deal with it:

Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for the recovery of bodies at the former Pike River coal mine.

And our ongoing liability for #WhiteIsland related costs should be contained asap.

NZ's compulsory accident insurance scheme means that billions of taxpayer funds will be spent as a result of this preventable disaster. I'm OK with that, bc it's a good scheme (on balance) & it's the law at the time it occurred.

I bet no one on the cruise ship knew this.

Almost every visitor to NZ is unaware that they won't be able to sue for damages if a tragic accident occurs during their stay here.

You MUST purchase excellent insurance cover before you travel, so you are not reliant on our measly "single payer" ACC coverage.

NZ is a relatively poor country among what most people think of as the "first world." We are barely holding on to first world status.

Unless we return to the bold free market reforms of the mid 1980s, we are fucked.

Our so-called conservative party, National, are weak.

NZ National are strong electorally, and will probably be returned to govt next year. However, they are increasingly weak on conservatism.

Those who are stronger on conservatism are unelectable, due to smoking too much pot, or condoning racism. I know, it's insane.

What does this have to do with volcano tourism you ask?

NZ needs to shut it down, because letting people suffer and die through lack of information, then going bankrupt to pay for it, is a losing proposition.

Time to get real.