More than six months on from the devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga, survivors of a destroyed village on one of the archipelago's islands are optimistic about the future as they await relocation in a temporary shelter in the capital Nuku'alofa.
The eruption of the undersea Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano on Jan. 15, one of the biggest eruptions recorded in the modern era, sent tsunami waves across the Pacific, leaving three people dead and thousands displaced in Tonga, along with extensive damage to infrastructure and the disruption of water supplies and communication networks.
With Tonga still restricting the entry of foreigners, including journalists, a local reporter on behalf of Kyodo News interviewed survivors from Mango, one of the islands closest to the volcano, at a church hall in Nuku'alofa on Tongatapu island, where they were evacuated.
"I will never forget that day. I still remember everything," 81-year-old Kalisi Levani told Katalina Tohi of BroadCom Broadcasting.
"On that afternoon I was at home doing some weaving. Somehow it was a strange day. I looked up to the sky in that afternoon and I could tell from the color of the sky (which) was dark gray that something was wrong," said Levani, the oldest resident on Mango.
Less than five minutes after the first explosion, Levani saw huge waves approaching her village as everyone ran to higher ground to escape the tsunami, where all 62 survivors remained for two days.
"Monday (Jan. 17), we came down to the village. Everything was gone...the tsunami took everything," she said. "We could not figure out where our houses used to stand. It was sand everywhere."
Another evacuee, Tipiloma Tutu'ila, 53, a mother of eight who lost her 65-year-old husband Telai Tutu'ila, said the disaster still gives her nightmares.
"I tried as much as I could to forget what happened but January 15, 2022, keeps coming to my mind. It was the saddest day of my life," said Tutu'ila, whose husband was the sole fatality among the island's residents.
Tongan Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku announced in May that the Mango islanders will be relocated to 'Eua, a hilly island southeast of Tongatapu. As part of the government's program to revive affected communities, the Ministry of Infrastructure is working with the Mango islanders and construction companies to build their new homes.
While some members of the community had wanted to return to Mango, Levani said everyone now accepted the relocation as the best option.
"The waves even took our cemetery and all our loved ones who were buried there. You see what's the point of returning to a place where nothing is left but sadness," she said.
An estimated 84 percent of Tonga's population was affected by the disaster, according to the government. The total damage has been assessed at $90.4 million by the World Bank.
But still, Tutu'ila is looking forward to the day when the islanders move in to their new homes on 'Eua.
"Despite the fact that my children have lost their father and I lost my husband, we are trying to make the best out of it," she said.
