Tonga eruption: PM says rebuilding lives will take time due to trauma

Siaosi Sovaleni says people’s mental health must be addressed after the volcanic eruption and tsunami

The underwater volcano eruption and the tsunami last month left Tonga blanketed in ash and cut off from the entire world (© Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence)

Tonga’s prime minister has said that the challenges his nation face while rebuilding after the deadly volcano eruption and tsunami extend beyond infrastructure and include dealing with the toll on people’s mental health.

Siaosi Sovaleni, who was elected just a few months before the deadly tragedy shook the island nation in December, told BBC News on Tuesday that his people were still struggling to get over the traumatic experience.

“Most of their houses were destroyed. The main thing is to actually make sure they are safe,” he said, while detailing the rebuilding efforts in Tonga after the January disaster destroyed several of the Pacific nation’s islands.

Residents had to be moved to evacuation centres across other islands. “But relocation comes with its own challenges,” he said.

“It’s not an easy choice – trying to decide whether you stay in a vulnerable place or move to a very new place, leaving behind all the memories. We’re looking at whether we relocate them over here, or rebuild where they were.”

“We recognise that even though we might start rebuilding some of the houses like next month or so, the mental side of it will take a bit longer,” Mr Sovaleni added.

He also noted that Tonga’s economic damage, estimated to be around 18 per cent of the country’s GDP, was “a big hit”.

The underwater volcano eruption and the tsunami last month left Tonga blanketed in ash and cut off from the entire world until internet connectivity resumed.

Reliving the disaster, the prime minister said: “We were at home that night, and you know that explosion was like nothing... I mean I haven’t heard something like that. It was terrible, and then all of a sudden, it was nightfall.”