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Pray for Tonga 😭
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Thinking of all my Pacific friends and whānau right now, sending so much love 😭💔💔💔 please message me if you find a link we can donate to (not the Red Cross or any missionary agencies) and I'll add some as soon as they are available
Guys Tonga is underwater. The tsunami swept through everywhere, the highest point on the main island of Tongatapu is just 28 meters above sea level. All power and communications have been cut off so we don't even know what's going on anymore, but at last report the sky is black and raining ash and acid rain. The water is undrinkable because of the acid. People can't breathe because of the ash. The entire island of 'Atata has gone underwater 😭
The explosion shook homes in Alaska, over 9500 km away. The tsunami has gone through the entire Pacific but nowhere has been affected as badly as Tonga. And no one outside the Pacific seems to be talking about it 😥
A trustworthy donation link!!!
And an update:
[Image: a tweet from Anaseini Ulakai @fineutuvai reading "Latest Update Tsunami warning still in force, volcanic activities at ease. PM announced that gas stations, bakeries and shops will be open from 10am-2pm for ppl to get necessities. Settlements along Vuna Road from Sopu to Fasi & Maufanga heavily damaged. Source: British High Com." The timestamp is 12:35 16 Jan 22.]
AP Update around 8pm est 01/18
https://apnews.com/article/volcano-tonga-tsunami-threat-93193799addd2d52b1e20a6ea64e0dd1
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — 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 some of the hard-hit smaller islands, where many houses were destroyed. 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 80 centimeters (2.7 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.”
