Elsewhere on the main island of Tongatapu, people are beginning the task of cleaning up. U.N. humanitarian officials report that about 84,000 people — 80% of Tonga's population — have been impacted by the volcano's eruption.

The tsunami severed the single fiber-optic cable that connects Tonga to the rest of the world, leaving many unable to connect with loved ones abroad to let them know they were okay.

At the Tonga Red Cross Society, Secretary General Sione Taumoefolau said they had two satellite phones, and families were invited to come in and use them. They were allocated three minutes each to speak with relatives abroad.

"Everyone was crying, it was very emotional," Taumoefolau said. "We've done 300 calls in just the last two days."

Some patchy phone service is slowly returning thanks to satellite links but the internet remains down.

"Everyone misses the internet, they're going crazy for the internet," Taumoefolau said.

The internet outage was stopping people from connecting with each other and meant many were unable to work.

People have been busy cleaning the ash from their homes. They usually rely on rainwater to drink, but with it tainted by ash Taumoefolau said the Red Cross was handing out cans of water or encouraging people to use the city supply.

He said they needed a big rainfall to wash away the ash, but it has been dry since the eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano.

A New Zealand navy ship arrived in Tonga on Friday carrying 250,000 liters (66,000 gallons) of water and with a desalination plant that can produce tens of thousands of liters of fresh water each day.

Another ship left Australia with supplies, while Britain was diverting a Royal Navy ship. Japan had sent military planes and a ship was on the way.

"People are still coming to terms with everything. People I think are a lot calmer now than they would have been a few days ago," said Lund, the acting high commissioner. "The fact that the volcano has kept quiet I think has helped people feel a bit less anxious."

The gradual restoration of communications was helping, he said, as was the fact that Tongan officials were able to reach some of the hard-hit outer islands and evacuate or check in with residents there.

"So," Lund said, "progress."