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Thursday, January 20, 2022
On Friday, the Hunga Tonga volcano in the Polynesian country of Tonga had a Plinian eruption, shooting a thick plume of ash 20 km into the air, causing massive destruction in Tonga and tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean. Damaging tsunami waves were recorded in New Zealand, the United States, Chile and Peru.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) estimates about 80 thousand people could be affected by the eruption.
A 1.2m wave swept ashore Nuku?alofa, the Tongan capital. According to one resident, the waves were “massive” and water filled their house within minutes. Peru reportedly closed 22 of its ports as a precaution.
Tremors and waves were also detected in Alaska, and on the west coast of the United States. By 0300 UTC on Sunday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii declared the threat of eruption had passed.
According to the BBC, the eruption was so loud, it was also heard in New Zealand. The Royal Family of Tonga was evacuated to a villa far away from the coast.
After staying inactive since 2014, the volcano violently erupted on December 20, sending particulate matter high up in the atmosphere which could be seen from Nuku?alofa. After no further eruptions, the volcano was declared inactive on January 11 by the Tonga Meteorological Agency.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in an address, the tsunami had caused “significant damage”, and the gases from the eruption had significantly contaminated water supplies. The Tonga Meteorological Agency reported smells of ammonia and sulphur in some areas.
Volcanologist Shane Cronin of the University of Auckland told Radio New Zealand, this eruption was the biggest one since the Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines. He predicted the volcanic eruption could measure as high as 5 in the volcanic explosivity index (VEI).
Dr Emily Lane, a tsunami expert at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research told Radio New Zealand, “we haven’t seen a volcanic tsunami of this magnitude in over 100 years.”
On Monday, the first foreign aid aircrafts arrived in Tonga as communications were partially restored. The BBC reported that three people have died following the eruption. Australia and New Zealand have confirmed that their relief planes have landed in the Fua?amotu International Airport after the airport workers cleared up the ash on the runway. Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said in a tweet that the Australian C-17 carried “humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies.” New Zealand supplied the nation with water containers, temporary shelter kits, electricity generators, hygiene and family kits and communications equipment.
Tongan journalist Marian Kupu reported that, “after the eruption, all of Tonga just turned grey.” Kupu also said that the country might run out of drinking water as most of the water sources have been polluted by poisonous volcanic ash.
Tonga was under a communication blackout for at least five days. 2G connections have been partially restored by Digicel. The New Zealand Air Force released aerial images showing several affected villages are yet to be reached. New Zealand’s P-3K2 Orion aircraft reviewed the damage caused by the eruption. It released images showing extensive ash fall within the Tongan islands.