Volcano Erupts, Plunging an Entire Nation into the Digital Dark Ages!

2025-09-30 12:00:42.062

The article chronicles the dramatic impact of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai volcanic eruption on Tonga, as experienced by residents like Sam Vea, who initially smelled sulfur and then witnessed the terrifying explosion that shook his home. The eruption, the largest atmospheric explosion recorded by modern instruments, unleashed a 'magma hammer' that not only sent ash 35 miles high but also triggered pyroclastic flows that severed both Tonga's domestic and international undersea internet cables. This single point of failure, a 515-mile long cable connecting Tongatapu to Fiji, plunged the entire nation into profound isolation. Communication ceased, with even landlines failing as they relied on data cables. Commerce ground to a halt; DHL couldn't process manifests, ATMs went dead, and vital remittances from overseas, accounting for 44% of Tonga's GDP, couldn't be sent. Farmers and fishermen couldn't export their produce. The article details the fragile nature of undersea cables—thin as a garden hose despite layers of protection—which carry 95% of the world's international internet traffic. Geologist Mike Clare's theory explains how the eruption's debris carved out 55-mile sections of the international cable and buried parts of the domestic one. The arduous repair process, involving a specialized ship, SubCom's Reliance, and intricate splicing work in deep, murky waters, took five weeks for the international cable, but the domestic cable to Vava‘u remained cut for over 18 months. The narrative highlights the critical dependence on the internet for 21st-century life, making its absence akin to being 'catapulted further back still, to a time before the telegraph.' The article also explores broader threats to these vital infrastructures, from natural disasters and human accidents to corporate misbehavior and geopolitical weaponization. Tonga's ongoing struggle for a second, diversely routed cable underscores the vulnerability of small island nations and the global contest for control over the 'web beneath the waves,' where information is both wealth and power.