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Kiwi supplies off to Tonga

Stuff reporters

A Defence Force ship is destined for Tonga this afternoon carrying fresh water and supplies, after debris and ash on the runway delay the delivery of aid by air.

Fresh water was set to be delivered to the islands on a Hercules C-130, but a surveillance flight over the Ha’apai islands and Tongatapu by the Air Force P-3 Orion yesterday morning showed the runway and port to be badly damaged.

Instead, a Royal New Zealand Navy supply ship, the $500 million HMNZS Aotearoa, will head north before embarking on its original journey to McMurdo Station in Antarctica in about 10 days.

Tonga is in dire need of fresh water, after Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai erupted around 5.30pm on Saturday, NZ time, causing a tsunami and affecting an estimated 8000 inhabitants.

Rear Admiral James Gilmour, Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, yesterday received reports that clearing ash from the runway was proving to be “a real challenge”, and may not be complete until this afternoon at the earliest.

“To clear off the runway, that’s going to take some days, so that’s going to complicate things.”

With the flight delayed, HMNZS Aotearoa was going to set sail despite receiving no official request from Tonga for its assistance – it was better for the ship to be 300 nautical miles north when the request came in than still docked in Auckland, Gilmour said.

On-board would be “reverse osmosis” plants able to produce fresh water from seawater, and other urgent supplies.

“We try to imagine what those things might be. I imagine water security, food security, shelter, hygiene.”

Tonga has strict Covid protocols for arrivals and is currently only generally open to citizens and permanent residents of the kingdom.

Gilmour said there had been no indication that had changed.

“I’ve got no indication there has been an alteration to ... no

boots on the ground, no contact approach,’’ he said.

The military would be able to sustain a deployment to Tonga for a short time despite the concurrent Covid commitment, Gilmour said; more than 1000 personnel were currently tied up with the Covid-19 response, mostly on MIQ duties.

Family and friends in New Zealand have already faced an anxious wait for news of their loved ones, especially in the outer islands where communication has been non-existent. About 8000 people live on Ha’apai.

Former Tonga and Combined Pacific Island Rugby Alliance captain Inoke Afeaki lives in Wellington but has a father who lives in Ha’apai, a group of islands in central Tonga.

Afeaki had not heard from his father since the eruption, saying in a phone interview yesterday that most feedback had been channelled through Facebook.

The fact there were no deaths was ‘‘miraculous’’, he said. But Afeaki was concerned there could be aftershocks in the coming days.

‘‘If it had been a 5-metre or 10-metre tsunami, we’re looking at a lot of death,’’ he said.

‘‘My worry is this is similar to the Christchurch earthquakes. It’s a busy little volcano trying to build land, and it’s still rumbling and producing.’’

He also had concerns about drinking water contamination, and the welfare of livestock on Tonga, including that of his father’s.

‘‘We’ve been waiting for this. We’re super lucky, because it could’ve been much worse. It’s a huge reminder.’’

Late yesterday, Speaker of the House of Tonga’s Legislative Assembly Lord Fatafehi Fakafanua said Tonga would announce details of the official disaster relief fund shortly.

‘‘Tonga needs immediate assistance to provide its citizens with fresh drinking water and food.’’

Tearfund’s chief executive Ian McInnes said the aid agency would appeal for donation from Kiwi communities.

‘‘The main concerns for the Tongan community will be the lack of access to safe drinking water and the damages to crops,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ll help local communities get quick crops to grow, mainly vegetables, yams and sweet potatoes.’’

Red Cross announced it was mobilising its regional network to provide relief. Pacific head of delegation Katie Greenwood said they were still trying to establish contact with their Tongan colleagues.

‘‘From what little updates we have, the scale of the devastation could be immense – especially for outer lying Islands.’’

‘‘Trained Tonga Red Cross teams will be on the ground supporting evacuations in coordination with public authorities, providing first aid if needed, and distributing prepositioned relief supplies. It currently had enough supplies to support 1200 households with essential items like tarpaulins, blankets, kitchen sets, shelter tool kits and hygiene kits.

About 70,000 Tongans are living in New Zealand, with 70 per cent based in Auckland. Tonga community leaders and church leaders gathered yesterday and set up Aotearoa Tonga Relief Committee.

Jenny Salesa, co-chair of Aotearoa Tonga Relief Committee, said: ‘‘We want to do something for our families on the ground (in Tonga). We are set up to assist Tonga families in New Zealand, get the identified goods from Tonga, and help our families on the ground.’’

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2022-01-18T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-18T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281479279782452

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