On January 19, local time, the spokesman of the United Nations Secretary-General Diarik said that the United Nations humanitarian affairs department reported that 80% of Tonga's population, that is, about 84,000 people, was affected by disasters such as the volcanic eruption and the tsunami. Relief is now expanding, but it is still difficult to reach remote areas to assess the needs of the population. The most pressing humanitarian needs at the moment are, for example, safe drinking water and food.
On 19 January, Tonga was followed by thick layers of volcanic ash.
On the afternoon of the 19th local time, the reporter of the main station exclusively interviewed Louis Waterhouse, Consul General of Tonga in Sydney. Due to the severe epidemic situation in Australia, the Tonga Consulate General in Sydney is currently closed, so the interview can only be conducted online.
Tonga Consul General in Sydney Louis Waterhouse (left) is interviewed by Reporter Wang Cong (right).
Louis Waterhouse: "The situation in Tonga was very serious, or the worst disaster ever recorded in Tonga's modern history. The eruption in Tonga was 65 kilometres north of the capital of Tonga, spewing ash and soot up to 20 kilometres. The tsunami caused by the volcanic eruption has waves up to 1 meter high near the main island, while the waves in the islands and depressions closer to the volcano are as high as 15 meters. The tsunami was so powerful that it was extremely destructive in terms of the damage it caused to Tonga. In places where the tsunami waves are not very high, the general loss of the coast is within 50 meters of the coastline, of course, this also destroys many tourist attractions and affects the people living on the seashore. ”
Volcanic eruption in Tonga
The scene of the Tonga disaster taken during a reconnaissance flight assessment by the New Zealand Air Force on 17 January. (Picture from Visual China)
Louis Waterhouse: "The impact of volcanic ash is much more severe than that of a tsunami, which has a negative impact on both water and air quality and causes serious pollution to Tonga. If you look at the contrasting photos of Tonga before and after the eruption, you will find that in an instant, Tonga changed from green to dead gray, as if there was a lunar eclipse. The thickness of the ash reaches several centimeters, and the airstrip of the airport is completely covered with thick volcanic ash. There is no cleaning machinery in Tonga, and all the cleaning work is done by hand. So even if the clean-up team has more than 20 people, the workload is amazing. ”
Satellite photo comparison, image from January 9, 2021 (top) and panoramic image of Tonga after the volcanic eruption on January 17, 2022 (bottom). (Picture from Visual China)
On January 19, local time, the people of Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga, began to clean up the volcanic ash. However, due to the lack of large machinery, the clean-up work has been slow.
On January 19, the streets of Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga, were littered with volcanic ash.
On 19 January, the people of Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga, began their clean-up work.
Buildings in the coastal areas of Tonga were severely damaged, and some roads were damaged by the tsunami and could not be opened to traffic.
On January 19, the beaches in Tonga were in disarray.
Tonga Parliament Speaker Fakafanua said in an interview on the 19th that Tonga's agricultural arable land has been destroyed, so the country is currently facing a drinking water crisis, but also facing food shortages.
Speaker of the Tongan Parliament, Fakafanua
On January 20, Digisel, an operator that provides mobile communication services in Tonga, posted on social media that the demand for local call services in Tonga is rising, but the current use of satellite data communication capacity is limited, so it is recommended that users try to dial multiple times to connect. The company is also working to expand its satellite data communications.
On January 19, Digiser announced that the company's international calling service in Tonga had been restored, and That Tongan residents using the company's mobile calling service could now communicate with relatives and friends overseas. However, due to damage to submarine cables, it may take weeks for Internet service in Tonga to recover.
On January 19, the scene of the disaster in Tonga.
A violent eruption of the submarine volcano on the island of Aha Apai in Tongahun on the 14th and 15th has caused 3 deaths and some injuries. The Government of Tonga has declared a state of emergency in the country.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States used meteorological satellites to capture the moment of the volcanic eruption in Tonga on January 14, local time. (Picture from Visual China)
Source: Global News+