Tonga Volcano Eruption
Karen Rodriguez Blanco
On January 15, 2022, a volcano erupted near the South Pacific nation of Tonga. Tonga is home to more than 100,000 people and their lives were halted because of a single blast that happened once in a millennium.
Over 80 percent of the population has been affected by the eruption and tsunami. According to NASA, the volcanic eruption was way more powerful than the atomic bomb, which also triggered a tsunami. The volcano, which was underwater, could have taken 900-1000 years to fill up with magma which cools and crystallizes, producing pressure, Cronin tells CNN.
Officials from the affected islands are in fear that there will be long-lasting effects, like risks of diseases like cholera and diarrhea as well as the ash polluting water sources. The residents of the islands face health risks because volcanic ash and emissions can affect the cardiovascular system, irritate lungs, eyes, and skin, and can cause breathing difficulties. The officials of Tonga had requested that foreign aid workers not come to the islands to help since they are Covid-free and they don’t want to risk the residents and they are unable to travel because the ash in the sky will make it impossible. Local aid workers have been helping the residents and they did receive supplies and still are that might help them from foreign countries.
Since this was a big eruption and triggered a tsunami, big waves hit Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and even the west coast of North and South America. The waves got up to 9 feet high in some areas and over 4 feet in others, affecting people along the shoreline of different countries. Even though this is not the first time the Tonga islands had been hit by mother nature, the eruption really affected this nation that is trying to survive.
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