"A ship from nearby Samoa will be sent out to fix the severed cable within the next week, and in the meantime, a satellite dish has been set up in the country's capital of Nuku’alofa. Hundreds of people reportedly gathered outside the government building housing the dish, where the signal is most reliable, to conduct necessary business or to simply touch base with relatives located away from the island."
Oh does that bring back memories. I used to have to do that in Majuro in the Marshall Islands. Reserve a time or just go out there and sit under the dish until you got an opportunity. It was the only way to communicate with the US.