A nurse working in Whakatāne Hospital when Whakaari / White Island erupted says staff could never have prepared for the traumatic circumstances that confronted them.
Emergency clinical nurse specialist Bronwyn Ives says she had never seen anything like what she saw after the eruption last year. Photo: RNZ / Jean Bell
Some 22 people died as a result of the eruption on 9 December last year.
Whakatāne Hospital is the closest, and its small emergency department was inundated with victims before they were diverted around the country.
This afternoon, almost one year on from the eruption, health staff shared their memories responding to the event.
Many victims were foreigners, but some were locals and known by those who treated them.
Emergency clinical nurse specialist Bronwyn Ives admitted she had never seen anything like it in nearly two decades working as a nurse.
"I have had 18 years experience as an emergency nurse and what I saw that day is the most intense, traumatic and horrific I had ever experienced.
"We had a job to do, to help those people in the best way we could... although I hope never to see or experience anything like the Whakaari eruption again, I am extremely grateful that I was able to be a part of that team and personally do my utmost to provide the very best care to those people.
"The teamwork, and the compassion is something I'll never forget.
"I often have moments when I'll stop and think of the victims of Whakaari - those who are on the road to recovery and the families of those who died. Please know our thoughts will be with you all today, and in the coming days."
Emergency department nurse Morgan Sando remembered staff from across the hospital coming together to care for the victims.
"Despite the most traumatic of circumstances, of which we could never have mentally prepared for, our team drew on an inner strength and a plethora of skills, compassion, experience, professionalism and so much heart."
Sando said the emergency department and the rest of the hospital came together and drew on their inner strength to provide each patient with exceptional care.
"This event has had a huge impact on our staff, our hospital and our whole community. Prior to this event we were a tight-knit team. After it we were a family."
She said healthcare workers appreciated the aroha they received from people who acknowledged the significance of the eruption, its ongoing impact.
"It's been heartwarming to follow the incredible progress of the survivors, and my heart goes out to those who did not make it."
Duty nurse manager Dave Henderson said he was diverted from his normal job running the hospital to the emergency department.
"I'd just come in on the afternoon shift. During shift handover we started getting calls that Whakaari / White Island had erupted, and that there were tour groups on the island. The mass casualty plan was activated and the hospital was on alert.
"Many morning staff opted to stay on to help, and we called in staff to support ... everyone that was able to responded to this mass casualty."
He said those who pitched in included all sorts of staff from the hospital, including health staff and non-health staff.
"Cleaners stayed on moving from one bed space to the next long into the night; orderlies walked and ran for miles, moving patients and equipment; security supported staff and arranged for vehicles to be shifted, making way for a temporary secondary helipad; Te Pou Kōkiri and social workers supported whānau as they arrived searching for their loved ones; the St John volunteers friends of ED were there too."
"The thing that really stands out for me was the compassion and humanity that the whole community displayed. I know that some staff are still affected by this event but they should know that they all contributed to give every patient a chance."
Dr Peter Thorson was the doctor assigned to meet the private helicopters bringing patients from Whakaari.
"Opening those doors and seeing the patients inside ... there's a sort of shock that you have to repress in order to do what needs to be done."
He was then assigned to supervise the intensive care and acute care units.
"Those teams did the work of caring for some of the sickest patients I have seen in any of the seven ICUs I have worked in. The teams I worked with that night were some off the best nursing and support staff I have ever worked with."
Nurse educator Adele Ferguson said the sheer volume of critically ill patients in such a short space of time was something she had never experienced in more than 20 years as a critical care nurse.
"A friend of mine later told me that the exceptional is built on everyday work. That certainly is how I remember that day."