
Despite huge volcano blast, Tonga avoids widespread disaster | Health and Fitness
In this photo provided by the New Zealand Defense Force, volcanic ash covers roof tops and vegetation in an area of Tonga, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Thick ash on an airport runway was delaying aid deliveries to the Pacific island nation of Tonga, where significant damage was being reported days after a huge undersea volcanic eruption and tsunami.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows ash covered homes and buildings in Tonga Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022 after a huge undersea volcanic eruption.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga on Dec. 24, 2021.
This combination of the satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies shows homes and buildings in Tonga on Dec. 29, 2021, above, and on Jan. 18, 2022.
This combination of the satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies shows the main port facilities in Nuku’alofa, Tonga on Dec. 29, 2021, above, and on Jan. 18, 2022.
In this photo provided by the New Zealand Defense Force, volcanic ash covers roof tops and vegetation in an area of Tonga, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Thick ash on an airport runway was delaying aid deliveries to the Pacific island nation of Tonga, where significant damage was being reported days after a huge undersea volcanic eruption and tsunami.
In this photo provided by the New Zealand Defense Force, volcanic ash covers roof tops and vegetation in an area of Tonga, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Thick ash on an airport runway was delaying aid deliveries to the Pacific island nation of Tonga, where significant damage was being reported days after a huge undersea volcanic eruption and tsunami.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga on Jan. 6, 2022, before a huge undersea volcanic eruption.
This photo provided by Maxar Technologies shows a cleanup of volcanic ash on the runway of Fua’amotu International Airport on the Tongatapu island in Tonga, Monday, Jan. 18, 2022. The blast from the volcano could be heard in Alaska, and the waves crossed the ocean to cause an oil spill and two drownings in Peru. The startling satellite images resembled a massive nuclear explosion.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a view of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022 after a huge undersea volcanic eruption.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the main port facilities in Nuku’alofa, Tonga Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, after a huge undersea volcanic eruption and tsunami.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the main port facilities in Nuku’alofa, Tonga on Dec. 29, 2021.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows homes and buildings in Tonga on Dec. 29, 2021.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a closer view of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga on April 10, 2021.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a closer view of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga on Jan. 6, 2022, before a huge undersea volcanic eruption.
This satellite image provided by Planet Labs PBC, shows Kanokupolu in Tongatapu, Tonga on Jan. 16, 2022, after a huge undersea volcanic eruption.
This combination of this satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga on April 10, 2021, top, on Jan. 6, 2022, middle, and Jan. 18, 2022,, showing what’s left after the Jan. 15 eruption.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga on April 10, 2021.
In this photo provided by the New Zealand Defense Force, Air Movements personnel stack and secure pallets of disaster relief supplies at an airbase in Auckland, New Zealand, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, to be sent to Tonga in the wake of a Tsunami triggered by volcanic eruption. Thick ash on an airport runway was delaying aid deliveries to the Pacific island nation of Tonga, where significant damage was being reported days after a huge undersea volcanic eruption and tsunami.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a general view of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022 after a huge undersea volcanic eruption.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The blast from the volcano could be heard in Alaska, and the waves crossed the ocean to cause an oil spill and two drownings in Peru. The startling satellite images resembled a massive nuclear explosion.
And yet, despite sitting almost on top of the volcano that erupted so violently on Saturday, the Pacific nation of Tonga appears to have avoided the widespread devastation that many initially feared.
In its first update since the eruption, the government said Tuesday it has confirmed three deaths — two local residents and a British woman. Concerns remain over the fate of people on some of the hard-hit smaller islands, where many houses were destroyed. Communications have been down everywhere, making assessments more difficult.
But on Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu, perhaps the biggest problem is the ash that has transformed it into a gray moonscape, contaminating the rainwater that people rely on to drink. New Zealand’s military is sending fresh water and other much-needed supplies, but said Tuesday the ash covering Tonga’s main runway will delay the flight at least another day.
On Tongatapu, at least, life is slowly returning to normal. The tsunami that swept over coastal areas after the eruption was frightening for many but rose only about 80 centimeters (2.7 feet), allowing most to escape.