Eruption survivor tells of ordeal
Woman who lost father and sister on White Island says there was no warning
Asurvivor of the White Island eruption has opened up about losing her family members — while claiming more lives could have been saved. Stephanie Browitt, 23, suffered third-degree burns to 70 per cent of her body and lost parts of her fingers in the eruption off the coast of Whakata¯ne on December 9. She was one of 38 people on the island, with her father Paul and 21-year-old sister Krystal, who both died.
The Melbourne family were touring the Bay of Plenty as passengers on the Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas, but Stephanie’s mother Marie remained on board the ship that day.
Stephanie and her father first noticed ash shooting into the sky about 2pm when they were walking back to the boat, but had no idea they were in danger.
Paul even encouraged Krystal to take a photo. “That’s when the front tour guide, Hayden, must’ve heard us or something, I’m not sure, but he yelled ‘run!’,” Stephanie told ABC’s Four Corners TV programme.
Before Stephanie could put on her gas mask, she was hit by the blinding, acidic ash cloud. “It felt like a wave, like it just takes you,” she said.
“I was just knocked over. I was tumbling, rolling, for minutes. I mean it felt like forever until it stopped and then it was just burning hot.
“I remember trying to stand up and it took so much energy just to stand up. I remember thinking, I can’t believe how hard this is. My legs just felt like jelly.”
She eventually made her way towards the water. “Everyone was just on the ground. There was one person lying flat on their belly just spread out, who was screaming in pain, another person who was yelling for help,” she said.
“I remember thinking, I don’t know why people are yelling, like, there’s just no one near, around us, we’re on an island in the middle of the ocean.
“Every 15 to 20 minutes, I’d hear my name again. My Dad was yelling out my name and I realised he was checking up on me to make sure I was awake,” she said.
“I remember thinking, I need to slow down my breathing or I’m not going to make it.”
The group waited more than an hour for help, gripped by the fear of a second eruption.
Pilot Mark Law from Kahu Helicopters had seen the eruption from the mainland. Moments later, another chopper piloted by Jason Hill and Tom Storey also arrived and began evacuating the severely injured.
Stephanie’s father told Jason and Tom to take his daughter first. He stayed behind and eventually died four weeks later in hospital.
Stephanie and her family still don’t know what happened to Krystal, whose body was recovered four days later.
On the aircraft, Stephanie sat in the front seat while others piled in the back. “I remember thinking, why is there no help on the helicopter?
“I imagined that there would be medics, or like it was a medical helicopter, you know? A rescue crew with all the right equipment and everything. And I remember thinking, why is there none of that on here?” she said.
“Now I realise rescue actually wasn’t coming. It was just three pilots who chose to risk their own lives to help us and if they hadn’t come, we’d all be gone.
“I know that if help had come sooner, there would probably be more people alive from our group.
“Sometimes I wonder if my sister might have had a chance if we were found sooner.”
Stephanie and her mother said they were not warned of any risks before travelling to the volcano site.
“We didn’t sign any waivers, get any receipts, nothing. We were just told a two-sentence description in the tour book on Royal Caribbean about how we would be visiting White Island and be enjoying it and then a scenic boat ride that would have lunch as well on board,” Stephanie said.
Passengers and family are now pursuing legal action, claiming the cruise operator was negligent.
Despite her horrific injuries, Stephanie said she had come to terms with what happened. “I’m fully happy about it, knowing that I’m grateful I’m alive . . . I’m grateful for Mum, that I can be here for her and she can be here for me, that we have each other.”