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Stranded Tongans better off in NZ, says RSE scheme official

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Christine Rovoi, RNZ Pacific Journalist and is republished with permission. 

A group of Tongan seasonal workers stranded in New Zealand because their flight home this week has been cancelled are better off staying in Aotearoa, says an RSE scheme official.

The flight was scheduled to leave Auckland on Thursday.

The discoloration of the sea shows a significant discharge of volcanic fluids (steam, condensates laden with chemical elements) into the sea and contaminating the seawater.
The discoloration of the sea shows a significant discharge of volcanic fluids (steam, condensates laden with chemical elements) into the sea and contaminating the seawater. Photo: Tonga Geological Service

Air New Zealand postponed its repatriation flight to Tonga because of the volcanic ash clouds from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption last weekend.

Seventy Tongan seasonal workers were among those booked on that flight, with majority of the labourers returning home after as long as two years. Some have not heard from their families since Saturday.

There are 800 Tongan labourers in the Recognised Seasonal Employers Scheme.

RSE scheme liaison Sefita Hao’uli said the workers fear for their families’ safety and are “disappointed they won’t be seeing their loved ones anytime soon.”

“But they should also be aware that this is something that was unexpected,” Hao’uli said.

“In the interest of everybody’s safety and making sure that not only are they safe on this end but if and when they do go back home, they will also be safe and not become a burden to their families.”

They have to make a decision that best suits them, Hao’uli said.

“The repatriation flight is now delayed indefinitely. It is also very likely that the incoming flight on the 25th of January which was supposed to bring workers is also going to be delayed indefinitely.”

Tongan community liaison, Sefita Hao'uli
Tongan community liaison, Sefita Hao’uli Photo: Tangata O Le Moana

Air NZ is yet to confirm the status of that scheduled flight from Tonga next Tuesday.

In a statement, the airline said they are monitoring the situation closely and their hearts go out to the people of Tonga.

“It is the airline’s decision that we are following through. If the airline doesn’t deem it fit to fly, there will be no flight. Everybody accepts that,” Hao’uli said.

There is significant damage to the western coast of Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu

The New Zealand High Commission said the damage is centred along the western coast, where there are many resorts, and the waterfront of the capital, Nuku’alofa where a thick layer of ash remains blanketed.

Tongan authorities are working to establish communication with smaller islands “as a matter of priority”, the commission said.

Hao’uli said they are working with the employers, airline and immigration officials to accommodate the stranded Tongan labourers.

“We met with the employers and they are happy to act in the best way possible to make sure the workers are not going to be left high and dry. That means that if they wish to remain and continue to be employed, that will be the case.

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.. Photo: Supplied/NZ Ethical Employers

“We don’t want to see our workers go and make things any worse in Tonga place than it is already. There could be food and water issues, there could be some health issues and don’t forget we got Covid to contend with.

“Given the multiple issues that they have to face, I think it’s very important to take a more cautionary approach,” Hao’uli said.

Some workers have already cancelled their visas, Hao’uli said, with majority of the 70 stranded holding bridging visas which enables them to stay in New Zealand “until such time there’s a flight available for them.”

Tongan RSE workers in Motueka.
Tongan RSE workers in Motueka. Photo: Supplied/Charlotte Bedford

“In cases like this when they were ready to go and now the flight is cancelled, Immigration NZ has been accommodating enough to say ‘this is beyond your control,’ and if the workers wish to remain in the country and work until later, then their visa could be extended.”

This degree of flexibility can help stranded seasonal workers in New Zealand, Hao’uli said.

Is is safe to travel to Tonga?

“What we would really like to know is what’s the situation in Tonga and whether it’s safe for our workers to be able to go home?

“We need to ensure that everything is looked into otherwise we might end up contributing to the difficulties back in Tonga.”

Hao’uli said by insisting on going well ahead when “perhaps they should wait until it’s a lot more clear as to what Tonga needs and get those needs taken care of before they board the flight.”

Distress signal prompts UN concern after Tonga volcanic eruption

By
Kaniva Staff
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This story appeared on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

A distress signal has been detected in an isolated, low-lying group of islands in the Tonga archipelago following Saturday’s massive volcanic eruption and tsunami, the United Nations said, prompting particular concern for its inhabitants.

Tonga's Geological Services went out to the site on Friday, January 15, 2022
The uninhabited volcanic island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted on Saturday. Photo: Tonga Geological Services

Initial reports suggested no mass casualties on the main island of Tongatapu, but two people were reported missing and the capital Nuku’alofa was badly damaged, as were resorts and homes along the island’s western beaches, it said.

“Further volcanic activity cannot be ruled out,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in the update on Monday, reporting only minor injuries but emphasising that formal assessments, especially of the outer islands, had yet to be released with communications badly hit.

The uninhabited volcanic island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai all but disappeared following the blast, according to satellite images from around 12 hours later. The Pacific archipelago was blanketed in ash and volcanic ash clouds spread to countries thousands of kilometres to the west.

The OCHA said there had been no contact from the Ha’apai group of islands and there was “particular concern” about two small low-lying islands – Fonoi and Mango, where an active distress beacon had been detected.

According to the Tonga government, 36 people live on Mango and 69 on Fonoi.

Experts said the volcano, which last erupted in 2014, had been puffing away for about a month before rising magma, superheated to around 1000 degrees Celsius, met with 20-degree seawater, causing an instantaneous and massive explosion.

The unusual “astounding” speed and force of the eruption indicated a greater force at play than simply magma meeting water, scientists said.

Australia and New Zealand sent surveillance flights on Monday to assess damage and Australia’s Minister for the Pacific Zed Seselja said Australian police had visited beaches and reported significant damage with “houses thrown around”.

British woman Angela Glover, who ran a dog charity in Tonga, was killed, her brother told British media.

The impact of the eruption was felt as far away as Fiji, New Zealand, the United States and Japan. Two people drowned off a beach in northern Peru due to high waves caused by the tsunami.

Tonga’s deputy head of mission in Australia, Curtis Tu’ihalangingie, said Tonga was concerned about the risk of aid deliveries spreading Covid-19 to the island, which is Covid-free.

“We don’t want to bring in another wave – a tsunami of Covid-19,” Tu’ihalangingie told Reuters by telephone.

“When people see such a huge explosion they want to help,” he said, but added Tonga diplomats were also concerned by some private fundraising efforts and urged the public to wait until a disaster relief fund was announced.

Any aid sent to Tonga would need to be quarantined, and it was likely no foreign personnel would be allowed to disembark aircraft, he said.

International communication has been severely hampered by damage to an undersea cable, which could take more than a week to restore, and Australia and New Zealand were assisting with satellite calls, he said.

Telephone networks in Tonga have been restored but ash was posing a major health concern, contaminating drinking water.

“Most people are not aware the ash is toxic and bad for them to breathe and they have to wear a mask,” Tu’ihalangingie said.

‘Completely destroyed’

The Ha’atafu Beach Resort, on the Hihifo peninsula, 21 km west of the capital Nuku’alofa, was “completely wiped out”, the owners said on Facebook.

The family that manages the resort had run for their lives through the bush to escape the tsunami, it said. “The whole western coastline has been completely destroyed along with Kanukupolu village,” the resort said.

The Red Cross said it was mobilising its network to respond to what it called the worst volcanic eruption the Pacific has experienced in decades.

Katie Greenwood, the Pacific head of delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Reuters up to 80,000 people could have been affected by the tsunami.

Alexander Matheou, the federation’s Asia Pacific regional director, said water purification, providing shelter and reuniting families were the priorities – but they had yet to establish direct contact with colleagues on the ground and were relying on estimates based on previous such disasters.

Scientists were struggling to monitor the volcano, after the explosion destroyed its sea-level crater and drowned its mass, obscuring it from satellites.

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai has erupted regularly over the past few decades. Early data suggests the eruption was the biggest since Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines 30 years ago, New Zealand-based volcanologist Shane Cronin told RNZ.

“This is an eruption best witnessed from space,” Cronin said.

– Reuters

Tonga’s undersea cable could take weeks to repair

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

It could be weeks before Tonga’s crucial undersea cable – which connects it to the world – is back online.

no caption

The undersea cable could cost anywhere from $US250,000 upwards to repair. Photo: 123rf

The cable carries nearly all digital information including the internet and phone communications in and out of Tonga.

It was damaged after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption nearby on Saturday.

Dean Veverka is the director of the International Cable Protection Committee and chief technical officer for Southern Cross Cables – which owns two other cables in the area.

The Tongan cable, which is part owned by the Tongan government, has broken about 37km off Tonga, he said.

The repair requires a ship which is currently in Papua New Guinea about 2500 kilometres away, so it could be a couple of weeks before the cable is back up and running.

“It’s very serious because the satellites can only handle … a small percentage of the traffic requirements out of any country.

“These days submarine cables carry about 99 percent of all communications between countries.

“It will be quite limiting the communication to Tonga for a fair while.”

It could cost anywhere from $US250,000 upwards to repair, he said.

In the meantime, satellite communications appear to be disrupted by the massive ash cloud thrown up by the volcano.

NZ Joint Forces commander rear admiral Jim Gilmour told RNZ on Monday the communication problems – likely from the ash – prevented pictures taken during the reconnaissance flight being sent back to New Zealand for analysis from the air.

It had to be done once the plane landed back in New Zealand on Monday evening.

The Tonga cable connects into Suva in Fiji, and from there to the Southern Cross cable onto New Zealand, Australia and the US.

Significant damage on Tonga’s west coast – NZ High Commission

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

There is significant damage to the western coast of Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu.

A grab taken from footage by Japan's Himawari-8 satellite and released by the National Institute of Information and Communications (Japan) on January 15, 2022 shows the volcanic eruption that provoked a tsunami in Tonga.
There has been little communication with Tonga since the eruption Photo: AFP / National Institute of Information and Communications

The New Zealand High Commission says the damage is centred along the western coast, where there are many resorts, and the waterfront of the capital, Nuku’alofa.

A thick layer of ash remains blanketed over the capital.

Authorities are working to establish communication with smaller islands “as a matter of priority”, the commission said.

The commission advised any New Zealanders in Tonga to register with www.safetravel.govt.nz and urged them to follow advice from local authorities, including any tsunami evacuation orders.

The Defence Force carried out a surveillance flight of the islands today. Plans are underway for a humanitarian relief flight when conditions allow.

Tonga eruption: Aid agencies look at how best to support Tongans

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Aid agencies are meeting today to discuss a plan of action to provide relief to people affected by the tsunami in Tonga and the Lau Islands of Fiji.

International NGO’s including Save the Children will be lead by the UN Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in a meeting today.

Shairana Ali is the chief executive of Fiji NGO Save the Children.
Shairana Ali is the chief executive of Fiji NGO Save the Children. Photo: Save the Children

Save the Children Fiji chief executive Shairana Ali said they were planning on how best to manage and provide fresh drinking water food and psycho-social support .

“All the stakeholders are going to be discussing the respective plans and to come up with a collective response, not only for Fiji but for Tonga and to get an update from the ground to get an appropriate response.”

She said the response may have to be co-ordinated remotely in the case of another eruption.

The families in Tonga are at risk of exposure to unsafe air and water due to ash and smoke.

Satellite images indicate that the eruption has emitted a 5 km-wide plume of ash, steam and gas, rising about 20km above the volcano.

Tonga’s government has asked the public to wear masks and use bottled water for now.

Ali said ash had contaminated many fresh water sources.

“There is significant threat to food security and also to water sources in Tonga and so the immediate need right now for people in Tonga is that they need food and clean water.”

She said information coming out of Tonga was still scarce due to sporadic communication and phone lines being down.

No caption
Photo: 123rf

Oxfam is confident their local team and other local humanitarian groups in Tonga will be able to provide an initial immediate response to support people with food and drinking water.

Oxfam have filtering units in Tongatapu which can turn salt water into drinking water and it’s likely teams on the ground will already be responding.

Oxfam Aotearoa humanitarian lead Carlos Calderόn said it would be greatly needed, after the water supply became contaminated with ash fall.

“They do have units that could filter water from the ocean. They may have capacity to filter more or less 10,000L an hour which could be at some point enough to at least provide drinking water.”

Calderόn said they could also help with food security.

UNICEF is ready to transport its pre-positioned emergency supplies from Fiji and Brisbane warehouses.

These include essential water, sanitation, and hygiene kits, water containers and buckets, water field test kits, tarpaulins, recreational kits, and tents, that can be immediately mobilized for distribution.

With borders closed in Tonga due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, UNICEF will work with the Tongan government and its partners on the ground to reach children and families with the support they urgently need.

More than 80 percent of households in Tonga grow crops to meet their daily needs.

Tearfund chief executive Ian McInnes said they would be responding immediately to the need for clean drinking water and tending to damaged crops.

No caption
Photo: lenor/123RF

Aviation warnings

Aviation warnings continue to be issued by Fiji Meteorological Service.

Senior forecaster Sakeasi Waibute said he had been unable to reach his colleagues in Tonga, but he was still issuing warnings.

He said the Tsunami warning remained in place for Tonga and would not change until the official word comes from local authorities.

But it has been cancelled for Fiji at this moment.

He said Fiji’s Lau group was still being inundated by surges, but it was unclear exactly what the latest was with communicating issues still hampering Tonga.

Tonga volcano eruption: Air New Zealand postpones repatriation flight due to ash clouds

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Air New Zealand has postponed a repatriation flight to Tonga because of the volcanic ash clouds from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption.

An undersea volcano eruption in Tonga on Saturday 15 January, 2022. The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano came just a few hours after Friday's tsunami warning was lifted.
An undersea volcano eruption in Tonga on 15 January, 2022. The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano came just a few hours after Friday’s tsunami warning was lifted. Photo: Tonga Meteorological Services / EyePress via AFP

The flight was scheduled to leave Auckland this Thursday.

Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and safety officer captain David Morgan said they were postponing the service indefinitely and contacting affected customers.

He said they were monitoring the situation closely and their hearts went out to people in Tonga who have been affected by the volcanic eruption and tsunami over the weekend.

“Those affected include our Air New Zealand partners who help with airport operations and our sales and cargo offices in Tonga,” Morgan said in a statement.

“Thankfully, we have recently been in touch and they, their families and homes are safe. We are doing everything we can to support them.”

Fiji Airways put flights on hold

Meanwhile, all Fiji flights to Tonga have been put on hold too.

Fiji Airways said several flights have been affected and passengers can expect delays and extended flight times.

Flights affected include FJ935 from Nadi to Melbourne, FJ921 Nadi to Brisbane, FJ911 Nadi to Sydney, and FJ914 Sydney to Nadi.

“Safety remains paramount for the group and flights will only operate once approval is given by the authorities,” the airline said in statement.

Tonga eruption: Power restored in Nuku’alofa as New Zealand sends air support

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission

Power has been restored in large parts of Nuku’alofa, while two New Zealand planes are heading to Tonga to provide support after Saturday’s eruption, Defence Minister Peeni Henare says.

Henare and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke to media at a vaccination clinic this afternoon, with online booster shot bookings and paediatric vaccines kicking off today.

It comes after Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupted on Saturday, one of the largest eruptions in the past 30 years, causing tsunami which led to further damage

New Zealand has offered support to Tongan authorities, and Ardern said two NZ Defence Force aircraft were being sent – a P3K Orion which was already on its way, and a C-130 Hercules which was being prepared for a take-off later today.

Ardern said the Orion’s arrival was imminent, and it would be undertaking an aerial assessment – of the outer islands in particular – with that information being provided to the Tongan authorities.

The C-130 meanwhile would perform naval drops, with planning being done to enable that regardless of the status of the airport.

“I understand that on the ground … Tonga has also now by sea dispatched to the outer islands.”

She said the C-130 was expected to fly today regardless, and would be able to meet immediate supply needs.

Henare said it was being ensured that the C-130 had the necessities on board. He said the aerial assessment being done by the Orion would help with that.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says it's a matter of if, not when Omicron is in the community.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says it’s a matter of if, not when Omicron is in the community. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

The response must be directed to where it is needed the most, he said.

He said power had been restored d in large parts of Nuku’alofa, but there was urgent need for other necessities like water.

Ardern said the navy was able to deploy very quickly, and communication had been difficult but the flights today along with communication with officials on the ground would help establish the needs of those in Tonga.

One of the things that was known was water was needed.

She cautioned that while there had been reports that some islands have seen no casualties, it was still early days.

It was thought the connectivity problems with the underwater cable stemmed from power outages, she said.

Tonga eruption: NZ Air Force plane leaves for reconnaissance flight to assess damage

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission

Power is being restored in Tonga’s capital, and the country is sending naval boats to outlying islands to assess the damage from the huge Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption and tsunami.

No caption
Tsunami waves in Tonga from the volcanic eruption. Photo: Twitter / Dr Faka’iloatonga Taumoefolau

A New Zealand Defence Force plane has left for Tonga to assess the damage from Saturday’s volcanic eruption and tsunami.

The violent eight-minute eruption of the undersea volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai triggered atmospheric shockwaves and a tsunami which travelled as far afield as Alaska, Japan and South America.

The flight – which was dependant on whether the ash cloud from Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai had dissipated enough – departed from Whenuapai air base in Auckland.

Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said reports overnight said there had been no further ash fall, and that there was no damage to the runway in Tonga.

“It’s just a matter of clearing the ash from the runway.

“The flight is scheduled to leave this morning.”

Mahuta said 80 percent of power was restored in the capital Nuku’alofa, on Tongatapu, but internet connections remained disrupted.

Damage on Tongatapu is able to be better assessed today, and the country was sending its naval capacity to the outer islands, she said.

The initial need was for water and water storage bladders, as well as food and medical supplies, she said, and Mahuta expected the Tongan government would be be making a more formal request for assistance.

The New Zealand Defence Force has deployed a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion aircraft to help search for two vessels in Kiribati that failed to return from separate fishing trips last week.
An RNZAF P-3K Orion is due to carry out a reconnaissance flight to Tonga when conditions allow. Photo: NZ Defence Force

The RNZAF P-3K Orion will carry out a reconnaissance flight over the affected area, including low-lying islands that have not been heard from.

The Defence Force was also preparing options for naval deployments to help with the recovery.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said yesterday the navy was making preparations, and either HMNZS Canterbury or HMNZS Manawanui could be deployed.

Labour MP Jenny Salesa, who is Tongan, last night joined a Zoom meeting with Tongan Methodist ministers, including Rev ‘Ulufonua from Ha’apai.

He told them there had been no casualties on the group’s main island. There was is a lot of ash on the ground and quite a number of houses had been damaged.

“One of the main things that they’re dealing with right now is the damage to the water system and the fact that not all of the people were able to protect some of the tank water that they collect from the rain,” she told Morning Report.

“There are 169 islands in all of Tonga, 36 of those are inhabited, and so we don’t have updates from any of those other islands.”

Red Cross teams in Tonga have supplies in the country to support 1200 households, their international organisation says.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Pacific head of delegation Katie Greenwood said they were able to make very brief contact with the teams in Tonga on Saturday before communication was cut.

“Red Cross teams were supporting authorities to move people to the small available amount of higher ground around capital Nuku’alofa itself and also they are well trained to be able to support any needs that are arising on the ground,” she told Morning Report.

Greenwood said once communications were restored the Red Cross was looking to help connect families registration system where people indicate they are looking for contact with loved ones.

A P-8 aircraft from Australia’s defence force is also being sent to survey critical infrastructure such as roads, ports and power lines today, if conditions permit. A statement from Australian government ministers said it was co-ordinating critical humanitarian supplies for disaster relief, and was ready to respond to further requests for assistance.

New Zealand Acting High Commissioner in Tonga Peter Lund said the capital Nuku’alofa resembled a moonscape.

Peter Lund says Nuku’alofa was blanketed in ash, and there was a lot of damage on the waterfront and along the western coast.

There were no confirmed reports of any deaths or serious injuries, he said.

The ash cloud reached many kilometres into the air, and the eruption is thought to be the largest since Mt Pinatubo, in the Philippines, exploded in 1991.

Videos: Tsunami wave hits ‘Eua royal palace’s gate as fleeing vehicles attempt to escape through king’s compound

By
Kalino Latu
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His Majesty King Tupou VI is reportedly still on ‘Eua island despite reports yesterday  that he was evacuated to the royal villa at Mataki’eua in Tongatapu.

The latest information about his presence in ‘Eua came last night after terrifying footage was shot of a tsunami wave crashing into  the gate of the Heilala Tangitangi royal palace in ‘Eua.

In the video, which was sent to Kaniva News, a man can be heard saying: “It’s now 5.54 pm”.

“There, you see the wave is on its way to ‘Ohonua” he said in Tongan.

“Hang on, I will run, otherwise the wave will catch me,” he said.

“Those of you who have already been to ‘Eua look at how the wave breaks on the Matapā Tapu (or Taboo Gate of the royal palace).

“Look at it. The wave reached the Matapā Tapu”.

The man was also heard in another video saying the waves had broken electric poles, sunk boats and engulfed the ‘Ovava hotel.

“Everything in the wharf has gone”.

He can also be heard in another video saying in Tongan that the only time he took notice of the wave was when the king told him to assist two vehicles trying to flee the scene.

“Two vehicles came out there and the king noticed they appeared hesitant to enter so he told me to run and wave to them to come through,” the man said.

‘Alisi Moa Paasi, who shared the videos with Kaniva last night, said the person speaking in the videos was her father, Tēvita Fau’ese Moa.

She said Tēvita was His Majesty’s Armed Forces’ (HMAF) Superintendent in ‘Eua. He called her in Auckland on Facebook from the palace while the tsunami hit at about 6pm (Tongan time) on Saturday January 15, shortly before Tonga’s internet was knocked out by the eruption.

Kaniva News could not independently confirm the authenticity of the videos.

‘Alisi clarified the vehicles her father was talking about in one of the videos as the background sound of the tsunami heard in the clips she sent intermittently distracted what her father was saying.

‘Alisi said his father was talking about two vehicles who attempted to flee the wave before they realised their only way out was the Matapā Tapu.

While the drivers appeared hesitant to enter the gate ‘Alisi claimed the king alerted his father to allow the vehicle to drive through.

She said once the vehicles entered safely the tsunami wave crashed into the gate.

She contacted Kaniva News 

‘Alisi contacted Kaniva News after we reported yesterday that the king was evacuated to his villa at Mataki’eua  in Tongatapu.

‘Alisi denied this and said the king was still in ‘Eua. She said she confirmed this with her father.

She said it may be that it was the Queen who was escorted to the villa.

Our report was based on an information published by Fiji’s Island Business media on its official Facebook page yesterday.

The information read:

“Tonga’s King Tupou VI has been evacuated from the Royal Palace after a tsunami flooded Nuku’alofa today.

“A convoy of police and troops rushed the King to the villa at Mataki’eua as residents headed for higher ground.

“Earlier, a series of explosions were heard as an undersea volcano erupted, throwing clouds of ash into the sky.

“The explosions were heard on Lakeba, Matuku and in Fiji’s capital, Suva, around 6pm”.

The Island Business Facebook administration was contacted for comment.

The news was picked up by the New Zealand mainstream media such as the New Zealand Herald and Radio New Zealand International.

The ‘Eua news comes after the underwater volcano at the two Hungas erupted for eight minutes, throwing clouds of ash into the sky yesterday afternoon.

Waves flooded the capital Nuku’alofa, where video footage has shown water engulfing buildings.

“The eruptions have been heard as booms or ‘thumps’ across the Pacific, in Fiji, Niue, Vanuatu, and in New Zealand”, RNZ reported.

The west coast of New Zealand’s South Island has been included in a warning about dangerous sea conditions as a result of the eruption.

The New Zealand defence force is currently monitoring the situation in Tonga, and said it was standing by to assist if asked to do so by the Tongan Government.

Meanwhile, Shane Cronin of the University of Auckland in an analysis article published by The Conservation said : “Soon after the eruption started, the sky was blacked out on Tongatapu, with ash beginning to fall.

All these signs suggest the large Hunga caldera has awoken. Tsunami are generated by coupled atmospheric and ocean shock waves during an explosion, but they are also readily caused by submarine landslides and caldera collapses”.

Watch live: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses situation in Tonga following volcanic eruption, tsunami

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission

There are no official reports of injuries or deaths in Tonga, but communication with the island is very limited, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

Communication with the island nation has been cut off since yesterday evening and members of the Tongan community in New Zealand are desperately awaiting news of their loved ones.

In a post on her Facebook page, Ardern said images of the volcanic eruption were “hugely concerning”.

She said communication as a result of the eruption had been difficult but the New Zealand Defence Force and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were working to establish what was needed and how to help.

Watch here from about 3pm:

Ardern said the undersea cable has been impacted, probably because of power cuts, and authorities are trying urgently to restore communications.

Local mobile phones are not working, she said.

A significant clean up will be needed. Authorities are still trying to make communication with some of the smaller islands, she said.

Ash has stopped falling in Nuka’lofa, she said.

The Tongan government has accepted a New Zealand government offer for a reconnaissance flight, and an Orion will take off tomorrow morning provided conditions allow. At present ash has been spotted at 63,000 feet.

The government is also announcing a $500,000 donation which is very much a starting point, she said.

A naval vessel has also been put on standby to assist if necessary.

Ardern has also been in touch with Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison so that both governments can work in tandem in their response.

Ardern said she has not been able to speak to the Tongan Prime Minister, because communications are so difficult.

“At the moment we are mainly receiving information from our High Commission …unfortunately from the outer islands we don’t have a lot of information,” she said.

If necessary New Zealand would help with any repairs that may be needed on the undersea cable that carries communications.

She said a priority is the supply of water for Tonga.

The reconnaisance flight will be useful to see the impact of the volcanic eruption on the low-lying islands, Ardern said.

“At the moment we stand ready to assist,” Ardern said, but she added that the conditions at the moment do not make it a stable environment for aircraft to operate in.

That is why naval vessels may be needed to head to the region.

“We are preparing for those ships to sail as we speak.”

Defence Force Minister Peeni Henare said it’s not known yet what has happened under the water. A New Zealand hydrographic vessel may be able to head to Tonga.

“Our people are ready to deploy. We just have to make sure they are fitted out with what the Tongan people need.”

Water would be one of the critical things that New Zealand could help with.

Pacific Affairs Minister Aupito William Sio said the Tongan Consul General Lenisiloti Sitafooti Aho has confirmed Tonga’s Royal family are safe.

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