The Volcano That Rocked Tonga

On January 15, 2021, an underwater volcano off the coast of Tonga erupted, triggering a tsunami that has impacted the region. The devastation has left thousands of Tongans without homes, businesses, and means to communicate with their families abroad. There have been at least three confirmed deaths in Tonga. What can we do to help?

This wasn't just any volcano. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has weighed in on the underwater eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano. JPL's data (backed by this intimidating video) show that the volcano was so powerful it "caused ripples in Earth's ionosphere," which is the outer portion of the atmosphere, about 50 miles above the planet's surface. NASA geologist Jim Garvin believes the explosion was equal to the force of four to eighteen megatons of TNT. Because of this violent force, Tonga was coated in ash and underwater communications cables were severed.

Tonga has relied on remittances.
According to The New York Times, Tongans who live abroad often earn more than Tongans who remain on the island. Sending money home to Tonga is a common practice and World Bank data shows that, in 2019, those remittances "were worth the equivalent of 37 percent of its gross domestic product, the highest figure of any nation in the world." With communications still offline in much of Tonga, it has been difficult for the Tongan diaspora to gauge what their families need or how to wire money to local banks. One of Tonga's most reliable forms of economic assistance is down, so disaster relief organizations and neighboring Pacific countries have stepped up to help. However, foreign aid has exposed new and unanticipated challenges.

The health costs of assistance.
Tonga is now in a country-wide lockdown because of an emerging COVID-19 outbreak. For almost two years, Tonga reported zero cases of the virus. Their first known case was in October 2021, when a missionary returned to Tonga and tested positive. On Tuesday, despite having strict protocols in place for aid delivered by plane and boat, two Tongans working at the wharf tested positive.

Support World Central Kitchen (WCK). Thanks to strong bilateral coordination between the governments of Fiji and Tonga, along with local partnerships, WCK has been able to store and package food and other necessary supplies in Fiji for export to Tonga as contact-free deliveries. WCK is also working with restaurants in Tonga to deliver hot meals to impacted communities. Much of this is accomplished because of generous donations. To further their efforts, consider donating here.