Thoughts and prayers go out to our New Zealand friends
Scott_J
I just read about the volcano eruption and resulting deaths and injuries on White Island in New Zealand.
FamilyTreeCircles has countless friends from that part of the world. We hope that everybody is ok and we join you in your greiving.
Please join me by sending your own best wishes, prayers, vibes, whatever you got.
--Scott
by Scott_J
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Contact | Subscribe | Block this user on 2019-12-11 16:30:32
Scott Jangro is the owner of FamilyTreeCircles.com and has documented roots back to Mayflower passengers Stephen Hopkins and William Brewster. If you're wondering what he's doing when he's mysteriously absent, here's some links to other stuff he's responsible for: about.me/jangro.
Comments
janilye on 2019-12-11 19:59:11Oh yes Scott, my thoughts and prayers also. Our dear cousins have certainly been through a lot in this decade; God Bless New Zealand.
ngairedith on 2019-12-11 23:57:09Bit of disturbing history on Whakaari (aka White) Island.
It is a very small, 2km diameter, privately owned, active volcano, only about 50km off shore. It has been in continuous activity for the past 16,000 odd years, a nearly continuous stage of releasing volcanic gas.
Whakaari erupted continuously for 25 years! from Dec 1975 until Sep 2000, making it the world's longest eruption episode.
Nothing grows there because of the poisonous gases etc but it is a breeding colony for gannets who harvest the seaweed around it and some great deep-water, marlin game fishing.
The island is privately owned by the Buttle Family Trust. It was bought by George Raymond Buttle in 1936. He refused to sell it to the government, but agreed in 1952, that it be declared a private scenic reserve. Being a privately owned 'scenic' reserve, visitors cannot land without permission, although it is easily accessible.
Because the majority of the volcano is beneath the sea, 'tourists' disembark directly into the crater, onto a constant, trembling, hissing landscape, which has been compared to landing on the moon. All that can be seen is active geothermal activity - steam vents, bubbling pits of hot mud and the remains of a sulphur mining factory which was destroyed by a mud flow in 1914, taking the lives of 10 miners (doubt that's in the brochures).
The tourist brochures only exclaim the fascinating beauty.
I have a feeling tourism may now change.
ngairedith on 2019-12-12 02:07:42The historical Maori story of beautiful, dangerous, Whakaari Island told in documentary footage (19:24)
With respect to the families of this weeks disaster
Scott_J on 2019-12-12 18:00:26From the news that made its way over to me via my Amazon Echo, it sounded like a residential zone was impacted, which would have been horrific.
That it's some tourists venturing into a dangerous volcanic island is no less tragic for these people affected (yes, with respect to them and families), but a bit different.
Stupid media. (And stupid media consumer... me.)