Tonga News

Australia and New Zealand have dispatched surveillance flights to assess the damage in Tonga. It is isolated from the rest of the world due to the eruption of an underwater volcano that triggered a tsunami. Australian PM pledged to provide support for Tonga but said volcano ash had hampered relief efforts.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said that it expected surge waves of up to 3 meters (10 feet) to reach the Amami and Tokara Islands.

Eua island in Tonga looks idyllic, but those living there are suffering the day-to-day realities of climate change. With high unemployment and the island's coral reefs eroded in part due to increased ocean temperatures, a project teaching islanders how to build canoes could help them adapt to the changing environment.

Tonga's neighbours scrambled to deliver emergency relief on Tuesday after Cyclone Gita tore across the Pacific island nation in the middle of the night, flattening the parliament, tearing roofs off homes and causing widespread flooding.

Tonga declared a state of emergency Monday as the Pacific island kingdom braces for a direct hit by a powerful cyclone that is threatening to become a Category Five superstorm.

An earthquake of 6.1 magnitude struck under the sea 170km (105 miles) west of Neiafu in Tonga at 1404 GMT on Sunday, at a depth of 10km, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Tonga is the Pacific's only monarchy but has attempted to increase democracy in recent years.

Tonga declared a pre-emptive state of emergency Saturday as severe tropical cyclone Ula hit the tiny Pacific kingdom.