Nomuka Island’s road to recovery post-tsunami in Tonga

One plane ride and a five-hour boat journey from mainland Tonga, Nomuka Island is home to a remote community of almost 500 people.

After the underwater eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai and subsequent tsunami in January 2022, families on the island faced a tough reality; destroyed homes, contaminated water supplies due to volcanic ash, emotional distress, and a long rebuild ahead filled with supply chain challenges.

Nomuka residents are still recovering and rebuilding from this event, including navigating the emotional and mental toll the disaster has taken.

As part of Habitat’s rebuild efforts in Tonga, carpentry students from the Tonga Institute of Science and Technology (TIST) and their tutors travelled by boat to Nomuka Island in mid-2023 along with building materials. With the absence of transport vans on the island, students and community members needed to carry supplies uphill from the boats to their build sites, where they constructed two new homes for local families.

In October 2024 Habitat Project Manager, Katrina, visited two families who have been living in their new homes on Nomuka Island for over a year now.

Finekinoa is a teacher, and Taniela Falekaono is a pastor at their local church. Their family of seven have made their Habitat house a home.

“We were one of the families that were directly hit by the tsunami in 2022 and we lost everything,” says Finekinoa.

“We stayed in a tent for a while until TIST came to build our home and completed it last year...We have made our new house very homely and very grateful because we wouldn’t have been able to afford a house.”

Tongi’oe, Haitelenisia, and their 10 children were another family with a similar critical situation post-disaster.

“Our family was sheltered at one of the Community halls for a while,” says Tongi’oe.

“There came a time where we were asked to leave, during this time we had to live in a tent for a while. When TIST came to build our home, we were so emotional. It took a few weeks for the team from TIST to build our home and when we moved into our new house we were just rejoicing in the Lord and grateful for our new home.”

Although emotional stress can take longer to heal, the completion of these homes on Nomuka Island, as well as six homes on Tongatapu, marked a new beginning for families to rebuild from a safe foundation.