The Tongan people have been dealt a devastating blow as an undersea volcano has cut off contact to the outer islands, leaving thousands of people stranded and unsure about what could happen next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Saturday, an underwater volcano in the South Pacific violently erupted, sending tsunamis that struck Hawaii, Japan, and Tonga’s largest island, Tongatapu — flooding into the country’s capital. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) southeast of Tonga’s Fonuafo’ou island, first erupted on Friday evening and again at 5:26 p.m. local time on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The eruptions sent a 20-kilometer plume of ash, gas, and steam into the air, according to RNZ. A huge ash cloud and shockwaves were detected in satellite images from the eruption. Phone lines were down in Nuku’alofa, Tonga’s capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the University of Auckland’s Shane Cronin, who has studied the Tongan volcano for years, “this is one of the huge explosions [the volcano] is capable of producing every thousand years or so.” He said it’s still unclear whether Saturday’s blast was the finale. “We could be in for several weeks or even years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The minister of the Tongan Methodist Church said that no lives had been lost on the main island of Ha’apai! However, there have been no announcements regarding the condition of the outer islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The New Zealand government has pledged $340,000 in aid supplies, technical assistance, and supporting local responses, with the country’s Defense Force dispatching aid to Tonga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The volcanic blast also had consequences for the rest of the world, with tsunami warnings and alerts sent from New Zealand and Japan to the United States and Canada’s British Columbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Japanese Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the country’s coastal areas early Sunday morning, with waves up to 2.7 meters high reported in Iwate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over 230,000 individuals were instructed to leave their homes across eight prefectures due to the tsunami danger.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the National Weather Service station in San Diego, the eruption also produced waves that reached heights of up to 3 and 4 feet on the US West Coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to reports from Alaska, a wave as high as 1.2 feet had been sighted in Nikolski, while waves as tall as 1 foot were seen in Atka, Adak, and King Cove. This may not be the biggest wave, as it’s just rolling in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Fiji Meteorological Service issued a warning to residents on Saturday, advising them of the potential for strong currents and waves. As a precautionary measure, citizens were urged to vacate areas from the water.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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