Stephanie Logue 

Staff Writer

szl414@psu.edu

On Tuesday, significant damage was recorded along Tonga’s main island along its Western Coast. What caused this eruption was “fuel-coolant interaction” by volcanic scientists, which is similar to weapons-grade chemical explosions. The magma is ripped apart by extremely powerful blasts. With new magma pieces exposing fresh hot inner surfaces to water, a chain reaction begins, and the explosions continue, eventually ejecting volcanic particles and creating supersonic booms.The damage was recorded by the New Zealand High Commission where numerous tourist resorts are located, as well as the waterfront of Nuku’alofa, the capital.

A heavy layer of ash enveloped the entire island, the High Commission said. It was seeking to establish contacts with smaller islands “as a matter of priority.” The South Pacific archipelago has remained largely cut off from the world since the eruption of the uninhabited volcano island of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai destroyed its major undersea communications cable. The United Nations said a distress signal was intercepted in an isolated, low-lying collection of Ha’apai islands, adding it had special worries about Fonoi and Mango islands. According to the Tonga government, 36 people live on Mango and 69 on Fonoi. 

Scores of structures on Nomuka island were also damaged, according to a satellite images  released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “Further volcanic activity cannot be ruled out,” OCHA said. Only minor casualties were reported, but full assessments, particularly of the outer islands, have yet to be completed. Australia and New Zealand dispatched surveillance planes to examine the damage on Monday, and Australia’s Pacific Minister, Zed Seselja, said Australian police had visited beaches and found extensive damage, including “homes strewn around.” The Ha’atafu Beach Resort, located on the Hihifo Peninsula, 21 kilometers (13 miles) west of Nuku’alofa, was “totally wiped out,” according to the proprietors.  Fiji, New Zealand, the United States, and Japan were all affected by the massive eruption. Due to huge waves generated by the tsunami, two persons perished off a beach in Northern Peru, while officials in Japan reported multiple evacuations.

According to satellite photographs taken roughly 12 hours after the blow, the island of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai has all but vanished, making it difficult for volcanologists to monitor ongoing activity. The volcano, which last erupted in 2014, had been puffing away for approximately a month before the explosion on Saturday, according to experts.

The Red Cross said it was mobilizing its network to respond to what it described as the Pacific’s greatest volcanic eruption in decades. The Red Cross’ Asia Pacific Head, Alexander Matheou, stated that water purification to reduce ash contamination, housing, and reconnecting families were the top priority.  “The site is still fairly untidy right now,” Fonua told the Australian

Broadcasting Corporation. A lack of communication has impeded relief efforts. Tonga Cable’s chair, Samiuela Fonua, said two cuts in the undersea communications cable would not be repaired until volcanic activity subsided for personnel access.

While these relief efforts are undergoing, COVID-19 has posed an additional challenge. 

Curtis Tu’ihalangingie, Tonga’s Deputy Head of Mission in Australia, expressed alarm about the potential of COVID-19 spreading to the island, which is COVID-free. “We don’t want to bring in another wave – a tsunami of COVID-19,” Tuihalangingie told Reuters by telephone, urging the public to wait until a disaster relief fund was announced. Any supplies transported to Tonga would have to be quarantined, and foreign people would almost certainly not be allowed to unload planes, he warned.

While the risk of COVID-19 is high, many countries will still come to Tonga’s aid. To examine the damage, the New Zealand Defense Force dispatched an Orion aircraft to Tonga on a surveillance mission. Ardern stated that the country has pledged an initial $340,000  ($228,451.10 American Dollars) in emergency supplies, technical assistance, and local reaction support. Australia has announced it is preparing to provide extra assistance through planes. They will be filled with humanitarian goods such as water and sanitation kits. The planes will arrive in Tonga as soon as the weather permits. In separate declarations, China and Taiwan, a self-governing island, indicated they are willing to help Tonga if asked.