Whakaari/White Island, New Zealand, December 9, 2019
Modern science has come a long way, and volcanologists can usually predict when there is going to be a major eruption. But not always! There is one type of volcanic eruption that scientists cannot possibly predict, no matter how badly they might want to. It is the hydrothermal volcano; rather than having magma flow, or lava eruptions, they have steam eruptions. The ecosystem under these volcanos is so delicate that the slightest change, such as a small drop in the water level, can cause a sudden release of superheated steam at any time. Most of these eruptions are not very big, but you definitely don’t want to be anywhere near them when they do go off!
White Island is New Zealand’s most active hydrothermal volcano, and it is a very popular tourist site that sees over 10,000 visitors a year. For a once-in-a-lifetime experience, you can actually walk into the easily accessible crater to view the sulfuric steam vents and the bubbling lake inside. But it’s also a highly risky venture, as they can suddenly erupt at any time without a warning. When they do erupt, you have from mere seconds to a few minutes to escape.
Forty-seven tourists were on the volcano one Monday afternoon when it suddenly erupted. A webcam showed several people walking on a path in the crater only one minute before it erupted. Thirty-eight of the tourists were from a cruise ship which had planned to be in port for one day. One of the tourists who had been on the volcano just 20 minutes before it erupted was on the tour boat and filmed the eruption. You could hear the tour guide telling people to go inside to escape the hot ash that was falling from the sky.
Two commercial pilots 30 miles away saw the plume of ash and decided to fly their helicopters to the island, hoping to rescue people. Flying 200 ft. above the crater, they could see several people that needed help. They described conditions after finding a safe place to land; the air was full of fine dust, so it was very hard to breathe. Ash formed a thick carpet that made it feel like they were running through “talcum powder.” One of the pilots told The Guardian, “The burns were horrific. A lot of the people could not talk. It was pretty quiet. The only real words were things like, ‘Help.’ They were covered in ash and dust. We were picking them up and skin was coming off in our hands.” Between their two helicopters and another private one, they managed to rescue 12 People.
Though the eruption was small, registering a 2 on the VEI, 21 People were killed. Twenty-six were injured, many of them with severe burns covering 30% of their bodies or more. As of this writing, tours on White Island have been cancelled, while authorities rethink the wisdom of having tourists so close to an active, unpredictable volcano.
Only Two Possible Destinations
For 21 People, their time on earth had ended as they entered into eternity. God clearly tells us that we will go to one of two places, heaven or hell. Where we go depends on what decision we make about the Lord Jesus Christ who died and shed His precious blood on the cross for our sins. We must have “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:2121Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21)), for “how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:33How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (Hebrews 2:3)). Repentance and faith lead to salvation — to reject or simply neglect leads to damnation.
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)). The choice is “everlasting life” or the “wrath of God.” What will your choice be?