Tongan Australians have been unable to contact loved ones on the island nation in the wake of tsunami waves inundating parts of the country after an underwater volcanic eruption.
Tsunami warnings were issued across much of the Pacific after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted at 3.10pm AEDT on Saturday.
The damage from the eruption has limited telecommunications across Tonga, meaning Tongan Australians like Anthony Lolohea haven't been able to get in touch with loved ones.
Mr Lolohea, who lives in Ballina in northern New South Wales, is worried about his mother's welfare in Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa, which has been affected by tsunami waves and showered in ash.
The father-of-three and his friends from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa gathered last night to scan social media and news outlets for information.
"We can't really tell what we need to do, until we get on the phone and make contact with our loved ones."
Mr Lolohea is hopeful to be in touch with his family and friends soon to offer some help from afar.
"Hopefully I can help them in some way, you know, send a bit of money or supplies to help them get back on their feet," he said.
Like Mr Lolohea, Sione Finefeuiaki from Newcastle, NSW is also anxious to get in touch with family and friends, especially his parents, in Kolonga in Tonga's east, to see if they're okay.
"Mum is 75 and Dad is 86. It's a bit of a worry."
When he last spoke to friends and family on Friday, Mr Finefeuiaki said they were warned to move inland to be as far away from the ocean as possible.
Mr Finefeuiaki also runs a not-for-profit that supports community projects in Tonga. He's worried the volcanic eruption may delay his charity's plans to fly to Tonga and install hot water at a hospital.
Parts of Lord Howe Island evacuated
In other parts of the Pacific, it was an anxious night for some on Lord Howe Island with the State Emergency Service evacuating low-lying areas about 10:30 on Saturday night.
The SES said between 50 to 100 people were at the two evacuation points.
Marine Rescue Lord Howe Island commander Jim McFadyen liaised with the SES on the response.
He said it was a difficult few hours that were made more challenging with COVID-19 safety measures, and evacuees were told to stay in their cars to maintain social distancing.
"These are crazy times, but it worked well."
Mr McFadyen housed some relatives overnight at his property, which he said was about 100m above sea level.
Earlier today, Mr McFadyen said conditions were pristine.
"Everyone is quite relaxed about it, but having said that they're very aware of what's going on," Mr McFadyen said.
'Big bangs' heard on Norfolk Island
Nearly 900km east of Lord Howe Island, the new police officer in charge at Norfolk Island, Mark Watson, didn't expect to be dealing with a tsunami threat.
He received a few phone calls from worried residents about "loud bangs" heard around the island mid-afternoon on Saturday.
"It was concerning for residents, but there were [no incidents] on the island; the best we can figure is that it was from the volcano in Tonga."
Marine warnings remain in place for the NSW coastline as well as Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands.
