Rumbling in Tonga

Tsunami danger for Nuku‘alofa - Sefita Hao‘uli, Auckland, New Zealand
As ‘Ofa-ki-Tonga points out, the threat of earthquakes has always been there but for Tonga and many of its Pacific neighbours, the compounding effect of a tsunami following a big shake should add weight to his call for some work to be done to prepare our population should one strike. Collateral damage from earthquakes are unlikely to be as life-threatening in Tonga as it will be in downtown Los Angeles for instance, given that there are no high-rises as such to speak of and perhaps the flimsiness of our dwellings may prove to be a life-saver in the end. But a tsunami of the magnitude we saw in South East Asia which, in a matter of a few hours, rubbed out coastal communities on the Indian Ocean coastline is a warning for the Nuku‘alofa city slickers that clinging to the upper reaches of Mt Zion as well as long-distance swimming are both unrealistic options. - Sefita Hao’uli

‘Oua ‘e manavasi‘i - Siosaia Moimoiangaha, Barrow, Alaska
‘Oku malie lahi e fakakaukau atu ki he lahi mo e lalahi ‘o e ngaahi mofuike kuo too pea lulu ‘i he uho ‘oe ‘Otumotu ‘Anga’ofa’. ‘Oku totonu pe ketau kei falala pe he ko e ‘aho na’e hiki ai ‘e Tupou ‘Uluaki e Fonua ki Langi ne te’eki ai ke loto e kakai ia ‘o e Fonua ke tukuhifo ki mamani. ‘Oku ou tui lahi ko e ‘aho pe ‘e lahi ange ai e faka-tevolo ‘i Tonga ‘i he kau ma’oni’oni’ ko e ‘aho ia ‘e hake ai e sunami ‘i hotau ki’i motu ‘oku tau ‘ofa kotoa ai’. ‘Oku fu’u kei ma’olunga pe ‘a Tonga ke a’usia ‘e ha peau vai ka kuo vaveni mai pe ha ‘auhia he ngaahi peau ‘o e liliu ‘o taimi.

‘Oku mo’oni pe foki ‘a taailiili ‘a e tokolahi he ko e natula pe ‘eni ‘i he
taimi ‘o Noa’, na’e fekau e kakai ke nau teuteu kae fai pe ‘a e fakafiefia moe fakavalevale. Ko e sunami ia ‘oku vave taha mai ki Tonga’, ‘oku ‘ikai ko e peau’oe tahi ka ko e peau ‘oe ngaahi nunu’a ‘o taimi. Ko e internet kuo ‘ikai ha fakangatangata ‘oe sio ‘a e fanau ki he ngaahi ha’aha’a ‘o mamani, pea ‘oku ‘ikai ha misi ‘a e si’i kau tauhi fanau ki he taimi ‘oku ‘ahia ai ‘e he ‘enau fanau e ngaahi internet cafe kuo fokotu’u ‘i Nuku’alofa.

‘Oku mo’oni e lau ia ‘a Sefita’ ka koe kakau ‘a e matu’a he ngaahi peau kuo
a’usia ‘e Tonga he lolotoanga ni ‘oku faufaua mo’oni he kuo laui kuonga e
fakalaka kae kei fetaa’utu’i pe si’i matu’a he munoa’.

Ko e sio ‘eni mei he tumutumu ‘oe fo’i mamani Barrow, Alaska. - Siosaia Moimoiangaha