Niuatoputapu Tsunami books will help Tongans to learn how earthquakes can cause a tsunami [1]
Wednesday, June 19, 2013 - 21:40. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
Two new books in Tongan and English, that document the devastating Niuatoputapu tsunami of 2009 will help Tongans to be aware of the impact of earthquakes that can result in a tsunami, Tonga's Director of Education, Emily Moala-Pouvalu, said on June 18.
"The knowledge and skills would help us with our understanding and confidence on how to learn to save our lives and our loves ones," she said.
The books titled "Niuatoputapu Tsunami, Tongan Survivor accounts of the 2009 South Pacific earthquake and tsunami", and "Niuatoputapu Peau Kula, Ngaahi fakamatala 'a e kau hao mo'ui 2009 mofuike mo e peau kula 'o e Pasifiki Saute" are co-published by the Tonga Broadcasting Commission (TBC) and the International Tsunami Information Centre (ITIC) of Hawaii.
Lady Tuna Fielakepa, a director of the TBC board and Brian Yanagi a representative of ITIC presented samples of the books to Emily Moala-Pouvalu in a ceremony held at the TBC studio, in Fasi-moe-Afi on Tuesday.
The books are based on a television documentary made by Tongan broadcaster 'Anau Fonokalafi and Masaharu Ando, a former Japanese volunteer with TBC, who directed and filmed the documentaries. A Tongan artist Soakimi Maka Finau accompanied the television crew to Niuatoputapu in January 2010 and illustrated the survivors perceptions of the tsunami.
Lady Tuna said the books are "the collection of first hand information embedded with emotions, sharing experiences that reminds us of our own mortality. Tongans will be encouraged by reading the stories, which offers educational awareness material and better understanding of tsunami and knowledge of what to do," she said.
Brian Yanagi said lessons can be learned by documenting the historical event of the South Pacific tsunami, which will be remembered by those who experienced it. He said the event was unusual because it involved two almost simultaneous earthquakes over magnitude 8, in the area of the Tonga Trench, where the tectonic plates are moving faster than anywhere else on earth. He commended the TBC "for deploying a courageous team shortly after the disaster to compile the stories."
Tragedy
Mary Lyn Fonua of Vava'u Press Ltd., an independent publishing consultant, who helped turn the important Tongan television documentaries into the books, said that 'Anau and Ando documented interviews with over 50 survivors of the tsunami that was generated by the Samoa-Tonga Great Earthquakes that claimed 189 lives in September 2009. "Nine lives were lost in Niuatoputapu where the sea rose above the height of the coconut trees and a black wave crushed everything in its path," she said.
"What happened in Niuatoputapu has all the elements of a great Tongan drama - a tragedy - but this is a true story with real people. Some exceptional people. The survivors accounts describe not only the disaster but also tell of great heroism and self-sacrifice, of young and old risking their own lives to save or to comfort others, as well as some wrong choices and lucky escapes in the face of danger."
She said the books - one based on the original Tongan television interviews and the other a translation summary in English - include photographs, diagrams and articles that will help Pacific Islanders understand the need for tsunami preparedness and how earthquakes can cause tsunamis.
Collaboration
The development of the books was made possible through the enthusiasm of Laura Kong, director of ITIC (a UNESCO/IOC-NOAA partnership) who supported the JICA-Tonga and TBC initiative and funded the creative development of the books.
The work involved the collaboration of many people and agencies, including Tonga's Emergency Management Office and Tonga Meteorological Office with assistance from the United States NOAA administration, while the United States Navy's Pacific Partnership 2013 program printed about 150 samples of the book and brought them to Tonga for distribution.
"The donation of copies is greatly appreciated and will be an inspiration for the final phase - where we hope after all the work that has been done, that the Tongan partners will drive this important book development and print enough copies for all Tongan schools, to be distributed for free," said Mary.
The event was attended by TBC Board Directors Papiloa Foliaki and Rev Dr. Siotame Havea, TBC General Manager Nanise Fifita, Group Captain Darryn Webb, the Deputy Commander of the Pacific Partnership 2013 and Rev. Paul Stanaway the Chaplain of the NZ Defence Force.