China News Service, January 19. According to Fiji's "Voice of the South Pacific" APP, the Tonga Hunga volcano, which has erupted since the 14th, has had a profound impact on the local people and also affects the hearts of people around the world.
Fiji, as an island country in the South Pacific only 800 kilometers away from the Kingdom of Tonga, how has the volcano affected the local overseas Chinese?
It's not as serious as the rumors, Fijian Chinese: we're okay
"I said why so many domestic friends and relatives sent messages to ask about the situation in Fiji affected by the Tonga volcanic eruption and my safety..." Mr. Zhang, who has lived in Fiji for a long time, specially sent a WeChat Moments, "Since morning, there have been many People called and sent WeChat to greet us, but we were all fine and were not affected that badly."
Fiji affected, but not 'like a moderate earthquake'
It is reported that since the eruption of the Tonga volcano gradually began on the 14th, only one eruption on the 15th caused a relatively strong impact. At about 5:00 a.m. local time in Fiji on the 15th, the public heard the roar of the volcanic eruption, but the public mistakenly thought that It's just the thunder that comes with the rainy season.
Local residents said that although sound waves and air waves caused shaking effects on the glass windows of houses, they were not strong enough to "feel like a moderate earthquake."
According to Xinhua News Agency, the ash released by the eruption of the Tonga volcano did not reach the waters of southern Fiji until the 17th.
China CCTV News also contacted Wang Xuguang, Political Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Fiji on the 17th. Wang Xuguang said that the Fiji government canceled the tsunami warning on the 16th. From the current point of view, the impact on Fiji is not very big. The Chinese Embassy in Fiji is also paying close attention to Tonga. Volcano situation, in order to timely notify the local overseas Chinese.
Yang Honglian, a senior researcher at the Pacific Islands Research Center of Liaocheng University who has lived in Fiji for a long time, released a short video on the 17th through Douyin and WeChat platforms. In the video, Suva, the capital of Fiji, was drizzling, and the people's lives were stable and not much affected.
"Because Fiji is currently in the rainy season, and Suva has a tropical rainforest climate, the daily rainfall is higher than other areas, so the phenomenon of dark clouds is also very common. A more rigorous statement is that this cannot be completely judged as yes. The impact of volcanic ash."
After a volcanic eruption, these things should be paid attention to
Of course, in the face of volcanic eruptions, scientific protection is still needed.
The Fiji government has issued an acid rain warning on the evening of the 17th. "Due to the risk of acid rain in Fiji, the Ministry of Environment urges the public to cover household water tanks and stay indoors when it rains."
The Fiji Health Department reminds the public that short-term exposure to ash does not pose a major health hazard, but may cause breathing difficulties in sensitive individuals such as infants, children and the elderly, and acute respiratory illnesses may occur in those with chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma. respiratory tract symptoms.
According to the WeChat public account of the Chinese Embassy in Fiji on the 17th, due to the eruption of the Tonga volcano, the Ministry of Environment of Fiji said that an increase in the concentration of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the atmospheric environment had been detected on the 17th, which may lead to nationwide acidic rainfall in Fiji.
The Fiji National Disaster Management Office advises people in the Eastern Region to take necessary measures to prevent volcanic ash hazards.
The Chinese Embassy in Fiji reminds Chinese citizens in Fiji to maintain a high degree of vigilance, pay close attention to relevant information released by local media and official agencies, stay indoors as much as possible, and wear long clothes and trousers, glasses and masks to cover skin, eyes and Mouth and nose, and take care to avoid rain.