RNZ Pacific reporter Lydia Lewis speaks with Tonga correspondent Kalafi Moala for the first time following the violent volcanic eruption and tsunami. He has told tales of survival and explains the road to recovery.
The first two booms from the volcano were scary enough, but the third explosion was immense, sending everyone from the village running from their homes in a reaction that would save all except one of their lives.
More than five weeks later, the children from Mango Island often run or cower when they hear a thunderclap or loud noise.
The small island in Tonga was one of the closest places to the Jan. 15 South Pacific volcanic eruption, an event so massive it sent out a sonic boom that could be heard in Alaska and a plume of ash that was photographed
Authorities in Tonga are working with local telecommunications companies to expand network capacity in the kingdom following a volcanic eruption and tsunami.