![]() ![]() The capital, Nuku'alofa, was covered in a thick film of volcanic dust, Ardern said, contaminating water supplies and making fresh water a vital need.Īid agencies said thick ash and smoke had prompted authorities to ask people to wear masks and drink bottled water. She said there had been significant damage to boats and shops along the Tongan coastline. And I know that is causing a huge amount of anxiety for the Tongan community here," Ardern said. "Communication with Tonga remains very limited. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there had not yet been any official reports of injuries or deaths in Tonga, but cautioned that authorities hadn't yet made contact with some coastal areas and smaller islands. ![]() "We are praying that the damage is just to infrastructure and people were able to get to higher land," she said. She said she hadn't yet been able to contact her friends and family in Tonga. Rachel Afeaki-Taumoepeau, who chairs the New Zealand Tonga Business Council, said she hoped the relatively low level of the tsunami waves would have allowed most people to get to safety, although she worried about those living on islands closest to the volcano. The Tonga Meteorological Services said a tsunami warning was declared for all of the archipelago, and data from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of 80 centimetres were detected. Scientists said tsunamis generated by volcanoes rather than earthquakes are relatively rare. Geological Survey estimated the eruption caused the equivalent of a magnitude 5.8 earthquake. Tsunami advisories were also issued for Japan, Hawaii, Alaska and the U.S. ![]() Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said several communities along the coast activated their emergency plans overnight. In Canada, tsunami advisories were initially issued for four zones in coastal B.C., but the National Tsunami Warning Center later cancelled the advisories.ī.C. Snider said he anticipated the tsunami situation in the U.S. The tsunami waves caused damage to boats as far away as New Zealand and Santa Cruz, Calif., but did not appear to cause any widespread damage. Even government websites and other official sources remained without updates on Sunday afternoon.ĭave Snider, the tsunami warning co-ordinator for the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, said it was very unusual for a volcanic eruption to affect an entire ocean basin, and the spectacle was both "humbling and scary." The eruption cut the internet to Tonga, leaving friends and family members around the world still anxiously trying to get in touch to figure out if there were any injuries and the extent of the damage. In Tonga, it sent tsunami waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground. A sonic boom could be heard as far away as Alaska. Satellite images showed the spectacular eruption that took place Saturday evening, with a plume of ash, steam and gas rising like a mushroom above the blue Pacific waters. The tsunami threat around the Pacific from a huge undersea volcanic eruption began receding Sunday, while the extent of damage to Tonga remained unclear. ![]()
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