Anxious and worried. That's how many Bay Area Tongan-Americans are feeling in the wake of an undersea volcanic eruption and tsunami in the South Pacific.
At Tokemoana's Polynesian Restaurant in Redwood City, customers are stressed, not knowing what's happening on the South Pacific Islands.
"I came to just get some food, I was on the road and I was just saying my prayers," Edward Michael, who has family in Fiji and Tonga, told KCBS Radio. "I hope things back home to be okay."
So far, the only information Michael has about the tsunami is what he's seen on the news.
"People were just running away from the waves and that is not really good at all," he said. "I wish I could do something."
Michael said Tonga is mostly flat, so there are few places to move to higher ground. At this point he's mostly worried about a close friend on the island. "I hope she's ok, her and her family, and I pray for all the family and friends that are in Tonga," he said.
A Tsunami Advisory has been issued for the Bay Area following the volcanic eruption as surges hit the California coast.
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