Hawaii’s Tongan community eagerly awaits word on loved ones

After seeing images of the massive mushroom cloud of dust and ash that spewed from an underwater volcanic eruption and the nearly 50-foot tsunami waves in Tonga, one can only imagine what happened to its people.

With communications cut off from relatives in Tonga, thousands of Tongan Americans in Hawaii, as elsewhere, are desperately seeking information on the welfare of family members.

Information is seeping out. The government reported Tuesday night in a media release that there were three dead — a woman, 65, from Mango island; a man, 49, from Nomuka island; and a British national — and many injuries. All houses on Mango were destroyed, and only two remain on Fonoifua, with extensive damage on Nomuka and many more homes in the island kingdom that have been destroyed or damaged.

But only a tiny fraction of the 8,500 or so of Tongan descent in Hawaii have gotten any information, while most wait in the dark.

Milikaleakona Tonga Hopoi asked a friend how she got the news that her family was OK.

It was a connection to the Australian Embassy in Tonga, which is able to receive satellite transmissions.

Hopoi explained that the embassy receives the satellite transmissions by phone or email. Embassy personnel are able to make local calls in Tonga, which has working landline telephones.

Internet is down due to damage from the eruptions to the undersea international fiber-optic cable.

So those outside the island nation have begun contacting the embassy, which has been inundated with calls and emails checking on whether their loved ones are safe.

According to the government release, domestic phone calls operate only within Tongatapu (where the capital is located) and Eua. There is limited communication with Vavau and Haapai through satellite phones and HF radio, and no communication with the Niuas.

The U.S. has no embassy in Tonga, so Hopoi thought she should check with the U.S. Embassy in Fiji to aid Americans.

But Honorary Consular Agent for the Kingdom of Tonga in Honolulu Annie Kaneshiro said that would do no good since the U.S. has no embassy office in Tonga.

Because the Australian Embassy is now flooded with calls and emails, she is taking the calls and emails from Hawaii residents and passing them on to that office.

Meanwhile, Kaneshiro is trying to find another office or agency in Tonga with a satellite phone that is willing and able to assist.

She is also awaiting approval to set up an account of disaster assistance, as her office did after Cyclone Gita.

But she said it’s still early since it’s unclear what is needed and how the supplies will get there.

She said some Tongan families here are collecting food, water, household items and clothing they think their families will need.

Kaneshiro said food, water and humanitarian relief supplies will be coming from New Zealand and Australia. “I know they’re clearing the airport runway in preparation. I don’t know the damage and I don’t know the condition.”

The volcanic ash has seriously affected water supplies. The wharves have been damaged, and ash is covering the runways, the government said.

The Rev. Linita Moa of the United Methodist Church said it has 12 Tongan ministries in Hawaii, but its leadership has not yet met on the subject.

“I know there will be something we can do to help,” she said. “I know it will be a huge thing.”

For now, she says, “it’s up to families. They can do it as a family right away.”

“When we contact Tonga, then we can talk about it, and we’ll do it,” Moa said. Her church has a spirit of giving, providing relief not just for Tonga, but for other countries such as Nepal. Locally, its members feed the homeless and the hungry, providing Sunday breakfast weekly, and have a food pantry open Mondays and Thursdays.

“If you find some way, a shipping container, if we find a way, we can fill up the container,” Moa said.

Hopoi said some churches, families and Native Hawaiian organizations began collecting food, water and clothing, but there’s no safe way to transport it to prevent the goods from damage, so they have put their efforts on hold.

“The air may be clear, but it has to be cleared on the ground for planes to be able to land,” she said, adding that even sea vessels haven’t been cleared.

Other churches with large Tongan congregations, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Assembly of God, are also going to assist.

“Wiring money is not going to help them in Tonga if they don’t have anything to buy,” Hopoi said.

And as Hopoi told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Saturday, sending in relief teams from foreign countries is confounded by the risk of bringing COVID-19 into a country with strict policies and that has had only one case of the virus.

Hopoi, who set up a GoFundMe Account, the Help Tonga Recovery Fund, said the funds will possibly be disbursed to aid efforts based closer to Tonga, including New Zealand, Australia and whoever can get there safely.

Hopoi, chief of staff to state Sen. Dru Kanuha (D, Kona-Kau), said he will have a phone conference with the military to discuss U.S. aid efforts to Tonga.

And her family members from different countries joined in a meeting Tuesday night and sent the one thing they immediately could: their prayers.

How to check on relatives or donate

>> To receive information on relatives, email the Tonga Consular Agent in Honolulu at tongaconsulagcy@aol.com or call 808-953-2449. Provide your name, the name of relatives in Tonga and their telephone and cellphone numbers.

>> To donate, go to the GoFundMe account Help Tonga Recovery Fund.

You can check with the Tonga Consular Agent or local churches for updates.