The miracle of Lisala Folau. The 57-year-old former carpenter survived after 24 hours adrift in the waves. The first international aid arrives in the archipelago
In Moby Dick Herman Melville writes that “meditation and water are married forever.” If so, and anyone familiar with water knows it is, then who knows how many thoughts must have gone through the head of Lisala Folau, the former Tongan carpenter who was soaked for over 24 hours after the underwater volcano last Saturday. Hunga-Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted with all its might, unleashing a shower of ash and debris and palace-high waves over the small archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. At the time of the explosion, Lisala was at home with her brother and nephews on the island of Atata. “I was painting – he told the Broadcom FM radio station – when suddenly, around dinner time, a wave entered the living room”. The disabled 57-year-old former carpenter tried to save himself in a tree. With him was one of the granddaughters, Elisiva. Then an even more powerful wave – “it was at least 6 meters high” – swept them both, dragging them into the immensity of the ocean. And as the black sea swelled, as if its great waves were his consciousness, the two called each other desperately. «When I heard the voice of my son who was looking for us from land – explains Lisala – I decided to keep quiet, for fear that he too would dive into the sea».
From that moment on, the retiree from Tonga was left alone, at the mercy of the tsunami and the rain of debris that the volcano kept throwing up. Waves and thoughts mingled in a single rhythm. Lisala wandered adrift all night and the next day. From the island of Atata, clinging to a branch, he reached the island of Toketoke, then the island of Polo’a. Finally, around 9 pm on Sunday, he landed in Sopu, at the western end of the capital Nuku’alofa, on the main island of Tongatapu, after having wandered for a good 13 km. “During all those hours I couldn’t help but think about my niece. I was wondering if she was still alive – he explained -. And then my family, my children. I couldn’t get them out of my head. ‘ Lisala finally made it, a car rescued him near the sea and brought him to safety. A miracle. What happened to his niece and brother is unclear. But there is hope, the victims of Tonga at the moment are only three.
And while the authorities continue to count the damage, the first international aid has also arrived on the archipelago. A Hercules C-130 loaded with water and food took off yesterday from the New Zealand city of Auckland, landing at 16 local time at Tongatapu airport in Nuku’alofa. New Zealand has also sent a ship that will check the status of sea canals and port infrastructure as an Australian freighter prepares to set sail. Telephone connections with the rest of the world have been partially restored. After the apocalypse, Tonga is ready to leave again. A miracle within a miracle.
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