Locals Gather Supplies to Send to Tonga After Massive Eruption

OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- One Bay Area shipping company is accepting donations to send to the South Pacific island of Tonga after a massive underwater volcano erupted over the weekend.

SF Enterprises and Logistics in Oakland specializes in shipping to Tonga, and now efforts are ramping up to get supplies to the Pacific nation.

"With all of us here, get our hands together, we can do a lot," said Sesilia Langi Pahulu, the operations manager at the company.

Langi Pahulu said they'll take water, masks, medical supplies, first-aid kits and nonperishable foods.

The ship with supplies leaves Friday, and their deadline for people to drop off donations was Tuesday at 4 p.m. However, another ship is set to leave on Feb. 5, and supplies will be accepted until Feb. 2.

Langi Pahulu said most of the calls that have been coming in are for personal shipments to family members in Tonga. And many in the Bay Area's Tongan community are waiting to hear from loved ones.

"This is our family. They have family in Tonga, so we feel it. We understand it," Langi Pahulu said.

Selimoni Percival Jr. works at SF Enterprises & Logistics and has family in Tonga.

"Aunts, uncles, great grandfathers, nephews, nieces," Percival said. "Everybody trying to see if they see something on the news, trying to call, trying to be on Facebook, watching other news from other countries...but nothing so far."

The company also has a team of about 20 people in Tonga. Langi Pahulu said they last spoke to them on Friday night.

"They were all moving into higher ground, so we're hoping that everything is okay."

While they wait to get news, they packed their last container. It'll take around four to five weeks for the ship to get to Tonga.

"It's important for me to show up and keep everything going here, as far as getting stuff loaded on time, getting it on time to the port and on schedule to the island," Percival said.

Donations can be dropped off at 2525 Mandela Parkway in Oakland.