Praveen Menon

WELLINGTON (Reuters] – On Monday, Pacific nations and aid agencies started coordinating relief efforts to Tonga after a tsunami caused by a large volcanic eruption devastated the small island nation.

On Saturday, an underwater volcano in Tonga caused a tsunami that triggered a blackout on Tonga’s shores. It also cut off internet and phone lines on the island.

Tonga has not reported any deaths or injuries, but communication is still poor and the outlying costs remain closed.

The New Zealand Defence Forces announced on Twitter that a P-3K Orion New Zealand Air Force aircraft flew from Auckland Monday, to aid in the initial assessment of the region and low-lying island.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Sunday that the tsunami had a significant impact https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/new-zealand-pm-ardern-says-tonga-eruption-hugely-concerning-2022-01-15 on infrastructure.

Red Cross stated that it is mobilizing its regional network in response to the Pacific’s worst volcanic eruptions for decades.

“From what little updates we have, the scale of the devastation could be immense, especially for outer lying islands,” said Katie Greenwood, IFRC’s Pacific Head of Delegation.

“Red Cross currently has enough relief supplies in the country to support 1,200 households with essential items such as tarpaulins, blankets, kitchen sets, shelter tool kits and hygiene kits,” she said.

It was expressed concern that some communities might not be able to access safe drinking water because of the saltwater inundation resulting from the tsunami waves or ashfall.

It also mentioned that shelter is a major concern for communities located near the coast.

Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, stated via Twitter that UN offices located in the Pacific region are available to support.

MASSIVE BLAST

The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano has erupted regularly over the past few decades but the impact of Saturday’s eruption was felt was far away as Fiji, New Zealand, the United States and Japan. Due to the tsunami’s high-water waves, two people were swept away from a Northern Peru beach.

New Zealand’s WeatherWatch stated that volcanic ash clouds have been covering nations thousands of kilometers to the west since the eruption.

Fiji and Vanuatu are among those affected. On Monday the ash clouds will move towards eastern Australia, according to it.

Radio New Zealand’s Shane Cronin, a New Zealand volcanologist, stated that early data indicates the eruption was the most powerful since Mount Pinatubo in Philippines thirty years ago.

Cronin declared, “This eruption is best observed from space.”

Cronin stated that the large, explosive and lateral spreading of the eruption suggested it was the largest since the 1991 eruption at Pinatubo.