Tonga: Volcanic eruption and tsunami 2022

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Aerial view of Niuafo’ou volcano in Tonga
gokturk_06/Shutterstock

Introduction

In January 2022, a submarine volcanic eruption triggered a tsunami in the Pacific island state of Tonga. The volcano created a powerful shock wave and displaced huge amounts of water, triggering a far-flung tsunami that raced across the vast Pacific Ocean and reached as far as the coasts of Japan and the Americas.

Despite successful disaster preparedness and response measuers in place, the event demonstrated the compound and cascading risks features of these hazards, calling for strengthening of the regional disaster risk management. Solutions may include a better understanding and communication of hazards and risk, early warning for volcanoes, and critical infrastructure redundancy.

Hazards
Tsunami
Volcano
Country and region
Tonga

Knowledge base

Earthquake wave and circle vibration
Update

Shockwave caused by Tonga underwater eruption may help scientists predict future tsunami

Using data from the eruption of the Tonga underwater volcano, a research group at Nagoya University has used disturbances in the earth’s upper atmosphere to track the airwaves that cause tsunami. Their findings may lead to speedier tsunami predictions.
EurekAlert
The city of Nukualofa in Tonga.
Update

Tonga recovers its voice in the wake of deadly volcanic eruption

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in January 2022 was a stark reminder of how telecommunications preparedness can mean the difference between silence and life-saving response.
World Food Programme
Street in Nuku'alofa on Tongatapu island, Tonga.
Update

Tonga shares experience after trialing impact analysis methodology tools

Tonga’s experience after trialing an Impact Analysis methodology on the groyne structure at Hahake District and the rock barrier at Ahau village has been shared with other countries to inform the work in measuring the progress of climate change adaptation
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Update

How Tonga prepared for and responded to a devastating volcanic eruption

Disaster preparedness, combined with updated risk information and timely assessments of damages and needs, were critical for Tonga’s response to the undersea volcanic eruption.
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Update

Remittances for recovery: Dealing with the aftermath of Tonga’s volcanic eruption

BASE is finalising a feasibility study for the development of a remittance-based finance vehicle in Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu that enables remittance senders to channel part of their remittances towards climate resilient solutions.
BASE
Update

Underwater volcanoes are difficult to monitor. Tonga eruption shows why

Tonga’s underwater eruption hints at need for more seismic stations near such active, submarine volcanoes located near populated parts of the Pacific.
Temblor
Truck on a post-disaster reconstruction site on a tropical coast
Update

Tonga can learn from Fiji’s rehabilitation efforts

Apart from the Sendai Framework, Tonga can learn from Fiji’s rebuilding efforts after Cyclone Winston hit the country in 2016. Like Tonga, Fiji suffered from widespread power and infrastructure and communications destruction.
Climate Adaptation Platform
Submarine cable inspection vessel
Update

What the Tonga disaster tells us about the South Pacific’s cyber resilience

Tonga’s digital infrastructure wasn’t unprepared for disasters. Future funding of the existing Pacific cable network should focus on digital and technology solutions that can be managed, resourced and deployed locally.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Tsunami-warning-system
Update

Strengthening emergency communications for complex, cascading and compounding events – lessons learned from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption and tsunami in Tonga

The January 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption and tsunami in Tonga was a ‘textbook’ example of complex, cascading and compounding risks. In this long-read blog, Bapon Fakhruddin and Emma Singh discuss the lessons learned for disaster risk response.
International Science Council (ISC)
This image shows a wave hitting the coast of Tonga.
Update

Tonga volcanic eruption and tsunami: World Bank disaster assessment report estimates damages at US$90M

The Tonga Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcanic eruption, tsunami and ashfall has caused an estimated US$90.4M (TOP 208 million) in damages – the equivalent of approximately 18.5% of Tonga’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
World Bank, the

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