By Monica Miller
It was between 5:00 and 5:30 pm yesterday that I heard an explosion in the far distance. I was at Lotopa, a stone’s throw from Apia. I thought it was blasting for some road project.
Around the same time a cousin in Fiji posted, “what are those explosions from Nadi?
I had just read a story from Tonga’s leading news provider Matangi Tonga about the volcanic eruption that occurred the day before and was about to message the author for permission to reprint her story with the amazing photos.
I didn’t think about it at the time but it dawned on me that I had felt the floor shaking under my feet earlier. The house is by the road and I thought at the time it was those big container haulers on the road. I realized it was the rumblings from the volcano in Tonga.
In a few minutes our reporter Carina Elisara messaged me the tsunami advisory that the National Weather Service had put out.
I checked the FB pages of Tongan journalist friends. There were no current posts , just references to what happened the day before.
Didn’t know if our boss Pauga Joey Cummings and our in house weatherman John Raynar knew, so messaged them both, as well as Sia aka Keziah Atofau.
Were always back at the studio whenever such an event occurred…just making sure they had heard.
Luckily the young couple whom I was with had Twitter accounts, and boom, the pictures and accounts of what had already taken place in Tonga were flooding in. Facebook posts and images came later. (Must set up a Twitter account)
The National Weather Service was quick in upgrading the advisory to a tsunami warning. Malo Elinor and crew.
Friends were reporting wave surges in Leone, Pago Pago Harbor and in Nuuuli. I wondered how Aunuu was faring.
I saw pics of my daughter and husband at a party at DDW and messaged them right away about the tsunami warning.
The Marist Crusaders Alumni and spouses and others at DDW were told to move to the tramway.
Carina reported that bells were rung in Aoa and those near the ocean were moving to higher ground.
Gregoury Kuresa chimed in from Aua that it was very quiet and there was hardly any movements.
Joey and John were already on the air and were fielding calls from around the island.
One woman posted on FB that she had seen the water recede and was urging people to move to higher ground. A couple with five young children said they had already moved to Fatuoaiga Hall. They were not waiting for anyone to tell them. Callers were reporting that traffic in the Tafuna, Iliili area was heavy. People were going up to Aoloau.
People in Savaii were calling the radio stations in Apia reporting large waves. About 100 families were evacuated from Palauli and Satupaitea after homes were inundated by waves. Sea surges were occurring along the west and south coast of Upolu .
Then the pics of huge waves crushing in on homes, businesses, churches in Tonga started appearing on FB.
If there are no casualties, it will be a miracle. Let us remember the people of Tonga in our prayers.
Photos:FaceBook
