The underwater volcanic eruption that triggered a devastating tsunami and earthquake Saturday in the island kingdom of Tonga had no major impact on most of Hawaii’s coastlines and people — despite an early morning tsunami advisory issued for the state.

But the 8,500 or so Tongan Americans living in Hawaii were shaken by the news, especially after being cut off from communication with friends and family there after the eruption, which likely damaged an undersea cable from Fiji, where Tonga receives internet service.

Honolulu resident Milika­leakona Tonga Hopoi, 33, said her family in Hawaii has had twice-weekly prayer meetings with relatives in Tonga since the pandemic began. They last met Thursday when family members in Tonga were preparing for a storm that was due to arrive Saturday.

But her uncle, a portmaster for the Kingdom of Tonga, whose office runs along the coastline near the palace, sent one last message. “His last message to us was they’re evacuating all the houses along the coast. ‘If you don’t hear from us, just keep us in your prayers.’”

Unbeknownst to the Hawaii relatives, they were evacuating due to a tsunami from a volcano eruption, not a storm, as they later learned.

The photos coming from the capital show “just the tops of the buildings,” Hopoi said. “And the palace where the king resides, you just see the red top of the palace. The rest is submerged underwater.”

Hopoi said reading reports from family and friends, she has learned that the only two main roads that lead out of the city to higher ground were backed up with traffic.

“A lot of folks were leaving their cars and asking if they could jump into the bed of a truck” to make it out of the capital city of Nukualofa, she said. “It’s so heartbreaking. You’re relying on friends, neighbors and fellow countrymen to help you get away from the water that is coming.”

Her uncle, a reverend, and other family members in Hawaii are engaged in nonstop prayer and fasting, and are waiting to find out what is happening in their homeland.

Meanwhile in Hawaii, at 7:52 a.m. Saturday the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center lifted its advisory issued at 1 a.m. The Hawaii Emergency Management agency said effects could be felt as early as 1:05 a.m.

The tsunami warning center warned of 1- to 3-foot waves above sea level.

“That’s about what we saw,” said HI-EMA spokesman Adam Weintraub, adding “gauges registered in that range.”

On Lanai, Maui County Emergency Management Agency reported waves lifted a boat from its moorings in Manele Harbor, Lanai. And in Hana, Maui, waves washed debris ashore, closing a road near Hamoa Beach Park.

On Hawaii island, police reported above-normal tides, wave surge and coastal inundation of less than 3 feet at various locations across the island. Ka­ha­luu Beach Park was closed due to the effects of the small tsunami waves.

“It was an unusual event in the sense that the initial indications were that we wouldn’t see much effect at all,” he said. “As data was gathered across the Pacific, it became apparent that there was a little more concern.”

That called for a partial activation of HI-EMA, with additional staffing and a conference call with the counties and some state officials including the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Weintraub said.

Alaska and the U.S. Pacific coast also were advised to move from the coastline to higher ground.

Weintraub, who was in Kailua-Kona, said waves overtopped the pier where the King Kamehameha Marriott is located.

“If you were here, it was impressive and scary,” he said.

Kauai had some effects of the tsunami at small craft harbors. Oahu’s south and north shores saw some impact.

It depended on the topography of the shoreline and the angle the waves came in, Weintraub said.

As of Saturday afternoon, no major damage had been reported, but that could change, he said.

Kauai’s Ocean Safety Bureau officials put up signs advising no swimming at Poipu Beach Park and Salt Pond Beach Park.

Hopoi said most of her relatives, as does the majority of Tonga’s population of 110,000, live on the main island of Tongatapu, where its capital, Nukualofa, is located. But they are concerned because the few relatives living on the smaller islands are elders who prefer to keep a simple lifestyle. Those neighbor islands were mostly hit by an earthquake, while the main island was inundated by the tsunami, she said.

Hopoi said about 280,000 Tongans live outside the country, having immigrated to other countries, including the U.S., New Zealand and Australia, and anticipates help will be coming from these countries.

She would like to assist, but Tonga has had a strict lockdown due to COVID-19, and she is unsure if outsiders will be able to get into the country.

Hopoi was touched by the kindness and generosity of friends, who have sent money to her Venmo account for those in Tonga.

She set up a GoFundMe account, “Help Tonga Recovery Fund,” for those wanting to contribute.