3 months after the volcanic eruption, Tonga is slowly rebuilding
WELLINGTON APRIL 15 (US): Samantha Mwala remembered taking a shower at her home in Tonga when she heard what sounded like a gunshot so strong it damaged her ears, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
As she and her family dash into their car to drive inside, ash caused the sky to darken. The world’s largest volcanic eruption in 30 years triggered a worldwide tsunami, and the first waves crashed across the road as they drove Mwala to airport safety with her terrified husband and two sons.
Mwala, 39, a volunteer with the Tonga Red Cross, was soon looking after the wounds suffered by other people while fleeing, and providing them with psychological support. She said about 50 of them stayed for two days at the airport until they were given full permission to go home.
“People were all shocked,” she said. “But I was able to mingle with them, help them, and make them confident. It’s a small island, and we got to know each other in a couple of hours.”
Three months after the eruption of the volcano, the process of rebuilding Tonga is progressing slowly, and the impact of the disaster is becoming more and more apparent. Last week, the Prime Minister handed over the keys to the first of the 468 reconstructed homes the government plans to rebuild across three islands as part of a recovery programme.
About 3,000 people whose homes were initially destroyed or damaged sought shelter in community halls or evacuation centers. Eighty per cent of Tonga’s population has been affected in some way.
In the first few weeks after the volcano erupted, Moala helped set up tents and tarpaulins, then cook food for other volunteers.
It took Tonga five long weeks to restore its internet connection to the rest of the world after a tsunami cut a critical fiber-optic cable. This has delayed some families from abroad from sending financial aid to their loved ones.
Three people died in Tonga from the tsunami and the fourth from what authorities described as a related shock. The sonic boom from the explosion was so loud that it could be heard in Alaska, and a plume of mushroom ash rose 58 kilometers (36 miles) into the sky.
The World Bank estimates the total bill for damages at about $90 million. In the small island nation of 105,000 people, this equates to more than 18% of GDP.
The bank noted that several coastal tourism companies – which generate vital foreign revenue for Tonga – were particularly hard hit, destroying tourist cabins and docks. The agricultural industry also suffered from crop losses and damage to coral reef fisheries.
ANZ Bank says Tonga’s gross domestic product is likely to shrink 7.4% this year, after it was forecast to grow 3.7% before the eruption.
The international community has been helping, with Tonga being able to secure $8 million in financing from the World Bank and $10 million from the Asian Development Bank, as well as assistance from many places including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the European Union, the United States and China.
But progress has been hampered by the outbreak of the first outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, which was likely brought by foreign military crews who raced to drop supplies as the ashes were cleared. The outbreak has led to a series of lockdowns, and the country remains in a state of emergency.
Mwala is among more than 8,500 Tongans who have contracted the coronavirus since it began spreading across the islands. Eleven people have died so far. Mwala said the outbreak affected several businesses, including her husband’s work as a tattoo artist.
But as the outbreak recedes and the rebuilding process progresses, the familiar rhythms of the islands are returning to many people.
Among those still hardest hit are 62 people who lived on Mango Island and about 100 others on Atata Island who may never be able to return home.
The islands are located near the volcano Hongga Tonga Hong Hapai, the elimination of villages has been completed. The King of Tonga now offered the inhabitants land to move to one of Tonga’s two main islands.
Sion Taumofulao, Secretary-General of the Tonga Red Cross Society, said there is a lot of work to be done to resettle the population.
He said that getting supplies to people on other remote islands has been slow. Many of them are still offline after the local fiber optic cable was damaged as well and probably won’t be repaired for several months.
“After three months, people are starting to go back to normal,” said Taumofolao. “But we can see that they still need psychosocial support, those who are really affected, and especially those who have to move.”
AOQ