A Tongan community radio and TV station asked people to share their thoughts on the Pacific island nation's volcanic disaster and were overwhelmed by the response.
Brisbane-based broadcaster with Pasifika TV and Radio Suli Layt says people are calling in to the station.
"There's been a lot of high emotion. We got some church leaders online to offer words of encouragement," Mr Layt says.
Another of the station's broadcaster Mele Ngauamo says it's been an important time for the Tongan diaspora to come together.
"We just want people out there to share, to share their agony and their grief," she says.
More than three days after the volcano Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai erupted, sending tsunami waves across the Pacific Ocean, the extent of the damage to the island nation is still largely unknown.
The main problem is the disruption caused by damage to a critical telecommunications link, effectively cutting off Tonga from the rest of the world.
Ms Ngauamo is anxiously waiting to hear news from her two sisters and brother in Tonga.
"Who knows, they might be OK but, as far as I'm concerned, it's so worrying, devastating," she said
She last heard from them on Saturday as they were moving to higher ground.
"There's no way I can get in touch with them," she said.
"I just go to a [social media] page and put my message on it, 'Love you, love you, love you. Thinking of you. As long as you're OK. When you have a chance, could you please drop me a line?'."
Damage to the sole optic fibre cable servicing Tonga demonstrates the vulnerability of isolated Pacific communities, according to University of Sydney's hazards and disaster risk sciences's Dale Dominey-Howes.
"As our world becomes more technologically advanced in the future, we're going to have to have conversations about how we protect this critical infrastructure that we all rely on every single day," Professor Dominey-Howes said.
"I think it's a fundamental human need to want to know that your family and friends are safe and well after disasters occur. And the fact that Tongans, as expats living overseas, can't get in touch with their families, I can only begin to imagine how frightening and overwhelming that that must be."
Concerns about volcanic ash
As well as damage from tsunami waves in coastal communities, experts — including the University of Auckland's Associate Professor Phil Shane — also warn of the dangers of volcanic ash, with satellite imagery showing layers of ash on buildings in the Tongan capital, Nuku'alofa.
"They do seem to show enough ash on the ground to be a concern for at least transport, if not water and sewerage," Dr Shane said.
"Some fallout from volcanic eruptions can be slightly acidic and that can affect the chemistry of the water that people drink," he said.
"Sometimes, acidic fallout from volcanic eruptions can even affect vegetation and agriculture and various animals."
According to authorities, it could take some weeks to fix the communications cable, and there are also risks of further eruptions.
However, Mr Layt is hoping for some good news soon.
"I think this clean-up effort is going to be absolutely massive — but what we're hoping is that it's not as widespread across the main island," he said.
"But, that said, lives are number one. And we hope this death toll doesn't increase any more than it has already. And, secondly, it's the welfare of the people."
