# New Zealand navy vessels with supplies to reach tsunami-hit Tonga on Friday
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2022-01-19
Category: NEWS
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news
Meta Title: New Zealand navy vessels bring disaster relief to
Meta Description: Two New Zealand navy vessels carrying aid will reach Tonga on Friday, as the Pacific island nation deals with devastation from volcanic eruption and tsunami.
URL: https://financedigest.com/new-zealand-navy-vessels-with-supplies-to-reach-tsunami-hit-tonga-on-fridayhtml

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By Michelle Nichols, Kirsty Needham, Tom Westbrook and Praveen Menon

(Reuters) -Two New Zealand navy vessels carrying disaster relief will arrive in Tonga on Friday, the first international supplies to reach the Pacific island nation reeling from a volcanic eruption and tsunami.

Hundreds of homes in Tonga’s smaller outer islands have been destroyed, and at least three people have died, after Saturday’s devastating eruption which the government called “an unprecedented disaster”.

With communications https://www.reuters.com/markets/funds/undersea-cable-fault-could-cut-off-tonga-rest-world-weeks-2022-01-18 badly hampered by the severing of an [undersea cable](https://www.financedigest.com/exclusive-u-s-funding-tapped-for-pacific-undersea-cable-after-china-rebuffed.html "Exclusive: U.S. funding tapped for Pacific undersea cable after China rebuffed"), information on the scale of the devastation so far has mostly come from reconnaissance aircraft.

New Zealand’s foreign ministry said the Tongan government has approved the arrival of HMNZS Wellington and HMNZS Aotearoa in the COVID-free nation, where concerns about a potential [coronavirus outbreak](https://www.financedigest.com/tissue-cultured-date-palm-market-pegged-at-us-4-5-bn-value-pool-in-2027-import-export-activities-take-a-downturn-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-future-market-insights.html "Tissue Cultured Date Palm Market Pegged at US$ 4.5 Bn Value Pool in 2027; Import & Export Activities Take a Downturn Amid Coronavirus Outbreak: Future Market Insights") are likely to complicate relief efforts.

“The vessels are expected to arrive in Tonga by Friday, depending on weather conditions,” the ministry in a statement.

A second New Zealand Defence P3 Orion surveillance flight will fly over Tonga and Fiji on Wednesday, the ministry added, to assess the [damage caused](https://www.financedigest.com/flood-most-damaging-peril-of-2016-causing-nearly-one-third-of-210bn-global-economic-losses-according-to-aon-catastrophe-report.html "Flood most damaging peril of 2016, causing nearly one-third of 0bn global economic losses – according to Aon catastrophe report") by the tsunami.

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano https://graphics.reuters.com/TONGA-VOLCANO/znvneloakpl sent tsunami waves [across the Pacific](https://www.financedigest.com/adverty-partners-with-livewire-to-continue-growth-of-in-game-advertising-across-asia-pacific.html "Adverty partners with Livewire to continue growth of in-game advertising across Asia Pacific") Ocean when it erupted with a blast heard 2,300 km (1,430 miles) away in New Zealand.

[Waves reaching up to 15 metres hit](https://www.financedigest.com/cash-loving-germans-fret-over-exploding-atms-as-cross-border-crime-wave-hits.html "Cash-loving Germans fret over exploding ATMs as cross-border crime wave hits") the outer Ha’apia island group, destroying all of the houses on the island of Mango, as well as the west coast of Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu, the prime minister’s office said.

New Zealand said power has now been restored, and clean-up and damage assessments are ongoing. Relief supplies are being distributed by Tongan authorities.

Tongan [Prime Minister](https://www.financedigest.com/factbox-who-will-replace-uk-prime-minister-boris-johnson.html "Factbox-Who will replace UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson?") Siaosi Sovaleni has met with the head of diplomatic missions based in the country to discuss their support, the statement said.

Australian [Prime Minister](https://www.financedigest.com/economist-odor-picked-as-slovakias-caretaker-prime-minister.html "Economist Odor picked as Slovakia’s caretaker prime minister") Scott Morrison said at a news conference in Canberra that he hoped to speak with Sovaleni later on Wednesday.

“It is a very difficult environment to be operating in, the ash clouds and things of that nature. Our defence forces have stood up their operation and are deploying as necessary, as directed,” Morrison said.

Tonga is still largely offline after the volcano took out the sole undersea fire-optics communication cable.

[International mobile phone network provider](https://www.financedigest.com/route-genie-partners-withnorsk-global-to-provide-retailers-with-increased-international-carriage-choice.html "Route Genie Partners WithNorsk Global To Provide Retailers With Increased International Carriage Choice") Digicel has set up an interim system on Tongatapu using the University of South Pacific’s satellite dish, the New Zealand foreign ministry said.

The would allow a 2G connection to be established but the connection is patchy and covers about 10% of usual capacity,

U.S. cable company SubCom has advised it will take at [least four weeks](https://www.financedigest.com/80-of-brits-admit-to-feeling-hangry-at-least-once-a-week.html "80% of Brits admit to feeling “hangry” AT LEAST once a week") for Tonga’s cable connection to be repaired, it added.

REMOTE AID

Tongan communities abroad posted new images received from families back home on Facebook, giving a glimpse into the extent of the devastation.

The images show homes reduced to rubble, fallen trees, cracked roads and sidewalks and ash from the volcanic eruption [spread across](https://www.financedigest.com/germany-u-s-agree-to-new-covid-curbs-as-omicron-spreads-across-globe.html "Germany, U.S. agree to new COVID curbs as Omicron spreads across globe") the entire island.

James Garvin, chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said the force of the eruption was estimated to be equivalent to five to 10 megatons of TNT, an explosive force more than 500 times the [nuclear bomb dropped by the United](https://www.financedigest.com/uks-competition-watchdog-to-examine-edf-buying-ges-nuclear-turbine-unit.html "UK’s competition watchdog to examine EDF buying GE’s nuclear turbine unit") States on Hiroshima, Japan, at the end of World War Two.

Aid agencies, including the United Nations, are preparing to carry out relief operations for Tonga at a distance to avoid a [COVID-19 outbreak](https://www.financedigest.com/explainer-how-n-koreas-covid-19-outbreak-could-ignite-a-major-health-crisis.html "Explainer-How N.Korea’s COVID-19 outbreak could ignite a major health crisis"), Fiji-based U.N. co-ordinator Jonathan Veitch said on Wednesday.

The agency will conduct most operations remotely, and may not send personnel to the island, he told a briefing.

“We believe that we will be able to send flights with supplies. We’re not sure that we can send flights with personnel and the reason for this is that Tonga has a very strict COVID-free policy,” Veitch said.

Tonga is one of the few [countries that is COVID-19](https://www.financedigest.com/factbox-countries-making-covid-19-vaccines-mandatory.html "Factbox: Countries making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory") free and an outbreak there would disastrous, he said. The tiny island nation has 90% immunisation coverage both in adults and also younger [people over the age](https://www.financedigest.com/esbconnect-finalises-management-buyout-and-welcomes-in-a-new-age-of-people-based-marketing.html "esbconnect finalises management buyout and welcomes in a new age of people-based marketing") of 12, Veitch said.

They’ve been very cautious about opening their borders like many [Pacific islands](https://www.financedigest.com/china-pacific-islands-unable-to-reach-consensus-on-regional-pact.html "China, Pacific islands unable to reach consensus on regional pact"), and that’s because of the history of disease outbreaks in the Pacific which has wiped out societies here.

CLEAN UP UNDERWAY

Clearing the airport runway of ash is a [priority for the government](https://www.financedigest.com/factbox-uk-government-sets-out-priorities-in-queens-speech.html "Factbox-UK government sets out priorities in Queen’s speech"). The archipelago’s main Fua’amotu International Airport was not damaged but the ash was having to be manually removed.

“We thought that it would be operational yesterday, but it hasn’t been fully cleared yet because more ash has been falling,” U.N.’s Veitch said.

On the west coast of Tongatapu, [residents were being moved to evacuation centres as 56 houses were destroyed or seriously damaged](https://www.financedigest.com/indonesian-quake-rattles-residents-but-only-one-hurt-and-minor-damage.html "Indonesian quake rattles residents but only one hurt and minor damage") on that coast.

[Australia and New Zealand have promised immediate financial](https://www.financedigest.com/australia-financial-crimes-regulator-opens-investigation-into-britains-entain.html "Australia financial crimes regulator opens investigation into Britain’s Entain") assistance to Tonga. The U.S. [Agency for International Development approved](https://www.financedigest.com/board-of-russias-avtovaz-approves-585-million-in-2023-investment-programme-ria-agency.html "Board of Russia’s AvtoVAZ approves 5 million in 2023 investment programme – RIA agency") $100,000 in immediate assistance to support people affected by volcanic eruptions and tsunami waves.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols, Kirsty Needham and Tom Westbrook; writing by Praveen Menon; editing by Grant McCool and Richard Pullin)


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