"Our world was upside down. It was like our heart was wrenched out of our body, hearing the news, thinking there would be no more Tonga," Valeti Finau, who lives in New Zealand, said.
To mark the first anniversary of the disaster, community leaders gathered at churches in Tonga and around the world.
In Auckland, New Zealand, an event was held by the Tongan Council of Churches, chaired by Reverend Tevita Finau and the Aotearoa Tonga Response Group led by MP Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki.
