Just a few days after it was revealed by Lord Fusitu’a that the country might accept Bitcoin as a national currency later in the year, Tonga is now accepting Bitcoin donations to aid with relief efforts as the country faces a tsunami.
The Kingdom of Tonga was rocked by a huge volcanic eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano on Friday. After the first eruption, more erupted, threatening the residents of Tongatapu, Tonga’s biggest island, with a tsunami.
Despite the obstacles, crypto enthusiasts expressed their condolences and pledged to donate Bitcoin (BTC) to aid relief efforts. Onair Blair, a Twitter user, requested Lord Fusitu’a, a Bitcoin supporter and former Tongan MP, to create a wallet address where people can send Bitcoin to Tonga’s relief money.
People began fleeing to higher ground as waves of up to 1.2 meters (nearly 4 feet) covered highways and houses. There have been no recorded casualties as of this writing. Contamination of the air and water, on the other hand, is now one of the most pressing problems for humanitarian agencies.
Lord Fusitu’a responded with a Bitcoin wallet address and a link to a page where individuals can send money to aid relief efforts. Since Sunday, the address has received a total of 0.10794983 BTC ($4,625.29).
Bitcoin mining using geothermal energy
Lord Fusitu’a told Cointelegraph on Friday that the country’s finances would benefit from using geothermal energy from the volcanoes to fuel Bitcoin mining activities.
Lord Fusitu’a claims that the country’s 21 volcanoes “each produce 95,000 megawatts at all times, leaving more to spare.” The Lord stated that a single volcano can produce $2,000 in Bitcoin each day, which will be distributed to Tongan families.
According to the former congressman, the country is planning to follow El Salvador’s lead and make Bitcoin legal tender. Lord Fusitu’a suggested this may happen as early as November or December this year in a series of tweets released on Wednesday.
