the 1880s; in 1892 Captain Davis, of , recorded Alfred Restieaux and Emile Fenisot as trading on Nukufetau. Restieaux died on Nukufetau in 1911. Nukufetau Post Office opened around 1925. During World War II Coastwatchers, who observed and reported on Japanese shipping, had a station on Nukufetau. In 1943 United States Navy Seabees build a deepwater wharf and an airfield on Motulalo, which is the largest islet of Nukufetau. Two intersecting runways of Nukufetau Airfield formed an "X" shape. B-24s were based at the airfield. The Marine Attack Squadron 331 (VMA-331) also flew Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers from Nukufetau. After the war the airfield was dismantled and the land returned to its owners, however as the coral base was compacted to make the runway the land now provides poor ground for growing coconuts. Cyclone Pam, March 2015 Nukufetau was affected by storm surges caused by Cyclone Pam in early March 2015, which damaged houses, crops and infrastructure. As of 22 March, 76 people (13 percent of the population) were displaced and were living in 2 evacuation centres. The Situation Report published on 30 March reported that on Nukufetau all the displaced people have returned to their homes. Nukufetau suffered the loss of 90% of crops. In 2016 a 500-metre seawall was constructed to improve the defences against severe wet weather events. The $8 million cost of the project was paid by the United Nations Development Programme and was carried out by dredging and civil contracting company Hall Pacific. General election, 2019 The 2019 general election was held on 9 September 2019. Enele Sopoaga was returned to parliament and Fatoga Talama was elected to represent Nukufetau in the parliament. Notable people Faimalaga Luka (April 15, 1940 – August 19, 2005) represented Nukufetau in the Parliament of Tuvalu. He served as Prime Minister (2001) and as Governor-General (2003-2005). Saufatu Sopoanga, Prime Minister of Tuvalu (2002-2004), represented Nukufetau in the parliament for a number of years. Enele Sopoaga, the younger brother of Saufatu Sopoanga, was elected to represent Nukufetau in the parliament in 2010, and served as the Prime Minister of Tuvalu from August 2013 until September 2019. See also References Atolls of Tuvalu Pacific islands claimed under the Guano Islands Act Former disputed islands