Tongan telephone connectivity has reportedly been restored today after the devastating underwater volcano eruption and tsunami that hit the area last Saturday but internet connections will remain down for at least the next few weeks.
With Tongans from all over the globe trying to call loved ones, Eden woman, Palakisa Broder has been trying to contact her husband and extended family but has been unable to get through.
Mrs Broder has been living in Eden for almost two years, after Tonga closed its borders due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Fears for the safety of her husband David, and other family members in Tonga, were escalated for Palakisa after she received news of the death of her best friend earlier this week, who was washed away during the Tsunami.
“My friend Angelica passed on,” Mrs Broder said.
“When I heard that she passed on, it hit me and that’s the worry, the unknown of my husband, whether he’s okay or not okay,” she said.
Listen to our chat with Eden’s Palakisa Broder who speaks openly and honestly about her family back in Tonga.
“I spoke to him on Saturday morning and that’s the last time I spoke to him.
“He tried to send me a text on Saturday while everything was going but I think that’s when the internet cut out.”
She reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) to make contact with her husband but so far has not gotten a result.
Her message to her husband, a simple one: “Are you okay?” and “Come back here.”
Image Credit: Palakisa Broder
