Tongan families anxiously waiting for tsunami information

Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa, has been blanketed in ash and hit with a tsunami that covered the Pacific after a monumental underwater volcano erupted 50 kilometres from the capital on Saturday evening.

Until Monday morning, Tonga was without power while communication lines in and out of the Pacific nation remained limited, leaving many of the 2000 Tongans in Canberra unable to get in touch with family on the islands.

Mother and aunt Lupe Fisi'ikaile has been desperately trying to get in touch with her 72-year-old mother and her brother's family who live in Tonga.

"I didn't want to tell my kids and niece at first but I knew it was going to come up with all the news. Their first question after I told them was 'is Mama OK?' and I had to tell them we don't know," Ms Fisi'ikaile said.

"My mother was online on Saturday but as soon as she went offline we haven't heard since."

"The kids are worried but I'm trying to keep it light here because I'm widowed, we've had one of those obstacles so I don't want the kids to relive losing someone again."

Information had been difficult to come by for Ms Fisi'ikaile as she tried contacting the Australian embassy based in Tonga about the safety of her mother's region, but she was yet to receive a reply.

"It's just a waiting game. The only updates we can get is if somebody's gotten hold of someone locally and they've posted an update but that is also one of the concerns because incorrect information is being posted online which has started more anxiety," she said.

"The only information I wanted the Australian embassy to provide me with was whether the waves reached my family home that's close to town, but so far there's no response."

"I know that my neighbours in Tonga are OK and a friend from New Zealand said her parents are OK. They all have access to food and water so that gives me a little comfort but it still doesn't really tell me that my mum's OK."

President of the Tonga Association Sikahema Aholelei, whose own siblings are in Tonga, said once communications between Tonga and Australia improved the community in Canberra would organise something.

"The big issue was communication was broken down between Tonga and anybody else in the world, which has made it insufficient for anything to happen or be organised in Canberra because we have no information," Mr Aholelei said.

"I think once communication is restored I will be flooded with calls from family back in Tonga and hopefully we can organise something then."

"Because of the eruption, ashes scattered all over the land and most of the drinking water is taken from the roof of the houses to a tank and nobody can probably touch that at that stage so they are likely relying on coconut trees and probably field supplies from the local shops."

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The deputy head of mission for the Tongan High Commission, Curtis Tu'ihalangingie, said they were managing anxious members of the community while working with the Australian government to receive support.

"An important thing to note is Tonga is COVID-free and so far no one has died from the tsunami, so we don't want a COVID wave that could have greater effects," Mr Tu'ihalangingie said.

"Australia and New Zealand have confirmed they will be making sure to adhere to any COVID protocol from the Tongan government."

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