By now most of us have seen the images of waves breaking up against homes in Tonga, following the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano eruption on Saturday.

But these images only scratch the surface of what’s being felt by the islands’ inhabitants. Communication with those on the Tongan isles has been limited since the disaster – the result of damage to the only underwater telecommunications cable connecting Tonga to the rest of the world. Tongans in Australia and New Zealand have struggled to contact loved ones back home, and authorities still don’t have a clear picture of the extent of damage across the country.

But this partial communication blackout is not unprecedented, as University of Sydney’s Dale Dominey-Howes explains. In fact, the global underwater cable network which facilitates most of our communication runs along many of the same lines where disasters are common and expected. Still, the network has remained unfixed for decades.

Meanwhile, the tsunami generated by the volcanic eruption was felt across the Pacific Ocean – including Australia, where small but measurable tsunami waves were still being recorded as late as Monday afternoon. These may even persist into Tuesday morning.

Australians tend to be fairly relaxed about the tsunami risk. But as Hannah Power writes today, even a 50cm tsunami wave can knock you off your feet. This latest event demonstrates Australia is vulnerable to tsunamis. Official tsunami warnings should not be ignored – and they’re certainly not a time to go swimming or surfing.

Noor Gillani

Deputy Editor, Science and Technology

The Tonga volcanic eruption has revealed the vulnerabilities in our global telecommunication system

Dale Dominey-Howes, University of Sydney

Future events could damage the critical portion of the undersea network which links to Australia.

Waves from the Tonga tsunami are still being felt in Australia – and even a 50cm surge could knock you off your feet

Hannah Power, University of Newcastle

Australians tend to be fairly relaxed about the tsunami risk. But warnings from authorities to stay away from foreshore areas should not be ignored.

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