NZ stands ready to aid tsunami-hit Tonga

New Zealand is poised to send help to Tonga this morning, as the scale of devastation from Saturday’s tsunami, which sent walls of water crashing through coastal homes and streets, becomes clearer.

But with communication lines down, New Zealand officials had been unable to make direct contact with the Tongan government, following a series of violent eruptions from submarine volcano Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai.

The impact was felt in New Zealand, with Civil Defence warning people to stay off beaches yesterday, and tsunami surges combined with tropical Cyclone Cody causing millions of dollar in damage at a Far North marina.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the New Zealand government was ready to deploy aid to Tonga within eight hours, but needed to establish what supplies were needed, and what the situation was like on the ground.

‘‘I’ve been in touch with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison today and New Zealand and Australia stand ready to assist our Pacific neighbours,’’ Ardern said at a press conference in Auckland yesterday afternoon.

‘‘We have the aircraft ready to deploy and are looking at the deployment of a Navy vessel should it be required,’’ she said.

No loss of life had been confirmed early yesterday evening, but there are growing concerns for at least 8000 people in the Ha’apai group of islands in Tonga, as communication lines were still down yesterday.

Pakilau Manase Lua, the chairman of the Pacific Leadership Forum in Auckland, said locals in Tonga feared what would happen if the volcano erupted again and more tsunamis.

‘‘We haven’t heard of lives lost, there have been damages to property and things like that. Water shortage is a concern going forward because of contamination to the water catchments. (On Sunday) morning ash was still falling, a huge blanket over the whole island.’’

Ardern said it was clear that clean drinking water was a need as the ash cloud had caused contamination of water catchments.

Initial reports revealed the most damage on Tongatapu, the main island of Tonga – at the northern side of Nuku’alofa — with boats and large boulders washed ashore.

The Defence Force aircraft, P3 Orion, is on standby to provide aerial surveillance and support the government of Tonga to assess the tsunami’s impact on the outer islands, when conditions allow.

New Zealand has made an initial $500,000 available to respond to requests from the government of Tonga as and when they come in. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Defence Force, and other New Zealand agencies were working through air and sea options to provide assistance to Tonga.

Ardern said the NZ government was in contact with its High Commission in Tonga, and was urgently trying to find out as much as it could about what was happening on the ground.

Covid-19 safety was important, and Ardern said all New Zealand Defence Force personnel were fully vaccinated, and would follow whatever protocols the Tongan government set for them.

There was no land threat to New Zealand from the tsunami as of last night, but that would be reevaluated if there were further eruptions, Civil Defence has warned.

Initial reports revealed the most damage was on Tongatapu – the main island of Tonga.