Despite big volcano blast, Tonga avoids destruction
Ash contaminates rainwater people rely on to drink
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The blast from the volcano could be heard in Alaska, and the waves crossed the ocean to cause an oil spill and two drownings in Peru. The startling satellite images resembled a massive nuclear explosion.
And yet, despite sitting almost on top of the volcano that erupted so violently on Saturday, the Pacific nation of Tonga appears to have avoided the widespread devastation that many initially feared.
In its first update since the eruption, the government said Tuesday it has confirmed three deaths — two local residents and a British woman. Concerns remain over the fate of people on two hard-hit smaller islands, where most houses were destroyed, it said. Communications have been down everywhere, making assessments more difficult.
But on Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu, perhaps the biggest problem is the ash that has transformed it into a gray moonscape, contaminating the rainwater that people rely on to drink. New Zealand’s military is sending fresh water and other much-needed supplies but said Tuesday the ash covering Tonga’s main runway will delay the flight at least another day.
On Tongatapu, at least, life is slowly returning to normal. The tsunami that swept over coastal areas after the eruption was frightening for many but rose only about 2.5 feet, allowing most to escape.
“We did hold grave fears, given the magnitude of what we saw in that unprecedented blast,” said Katie Greenwood, the head of delegation in the Pacific for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. “Fortunately, in those major population centers we are not seeing the catastrophic effect we thought might happen, and that’s very good news.”
Greenwood, who is based in Fiji and has been talking with people in Tonga by satellite phone, said an estimated 50 homes were destroyed on Tongatapu but that nobody needed to use emergency shelters. She said about 90 people on the nearby island of ‘Eua were using shelters.
U.N. humanitarian officials and Tonga’s government has reported “significant infrastructural damage” around Tongatapu.
“There has been no contact from the Ha’apai Group of islands, and we are particularly concerned about two small low-lying islands — Mango and Fonoi — following surveillance flights confirming substantial property damage,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
New Zealand’s High Commission in Tonga also reported significant damage along the western coast of Tongatapu, including to resorts and the waterfront area.
Like other island nations in the Pacific, Tonga is regularly exposed to the extremes of nature, whether it be cyclones or earthquakes, making people more resilient to the challenges they bring.
Greenwood said Tonga does not want an influx of aid workers. Tonga is one of the few remaining places in the world that has managed to avoid any outbreaks of the coronavirus, and officials fear that if outsiders bring in the virus it could create a much bigger disaster than the one they’re already facing.
Another worry, said Greenwood, is that the volcano could erupt again. She said there is no working equipment around it that could help predict such an event.
Satellite images captured the spectacular eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano on Saturday, with a plume of ash, steam and gas rising like a giant mushroom above the South Pacific. The volcano is 40 miles north of Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa.
Two people drowned in
Peru, which also reported the oil spill after waves moved a ship that was transferring oil at a refinery.
In Tonga, British woman Angela Glover, 50, was one of those who died after being swept away by a wave, her family said.
Nick Eleini said his sister’s body had been found and that her husband survived.
“I understand that this terrible accident came about as they tried to rescue their dogs,” Eleini told Sky News.
He said it had been his sister’s life dream to live in
the South Pacific and “she loved her life there.”
New Zealand’s military said it hoped the airfield in Tonga would be opened either Wednesday or Thursday. The military said it had considered an airdrop but that was “not the preference of the Tongan authorities.”
New Zealand also sent a navy ship to Tonga on Tuesday, with another planned to leave later in the day, and pledged an initial 1 million New Zealand dollars, or about $680,000, toward recovery efforts.