A Category 4 cyclone has hit Tonga, devastating the main islands and cutting off communications with the outlying populated islands. There is extensive wind damage and flooding. The Parliament house has been partly destroyed.
Gita hit Tonga around 8pm on Monday night and peaked between 11pm and 2am, slamming on to the south coast of the main island of Tongatapu, bringing down electricity lines, smashing churches and levelling fruit trees and crops vital to the island’s livelihood.
At its peak, winds reached 233km/h – far stronger than predicted, despite Gita not reaching a category five storm as anticipated.
According to the British Met office, Gita is the worst cyclone to pass so close to Tonga’s main islands in 60 years, and communications were lost overnight as Gita ripped the roof off the Tonga meteorological office as well as taking the national broadcaster off air for a time
The Kingdom of Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 under King George Tupou I who emancipated the serfs. limited the power of chiefs and established a code of law. In 1900 Tonga signed a Treaty of Friendship and became a British protected state after a group of settlers and rival chiefs attempted to oust the second king. The status ended in 1970 with independence and Tonga joining the Commonwealth and later, 1999, the United Nations. The country came to the world stage in 1953 when Queen Sālote (Charlotte) Tupou III attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London. It rained heavily and the carriages were all covered except for her’s as Tongan custom dictates that you should not copy the actions of those you are honoring. As I said, Tongans are tough!
The country’s closeness to New Zealand meant that for practical reasons, the protectorate was administered from there. It also meant that a number of Tongans migrated to New Zealand. Like other Pacific islanders, Tongans are formidable rugby players, winning against Scotland in 2012, Italy in 2016 and the All Blacks (New Zealand) last year. This old relationship has meant that NZ has been the instigator of relief efforts, initially releasing NZ$ 750,000.
New Zealand’s foreign affairs minister, Winston Peters, said emergency supplies had been prepared on Monday and were ready to be dispatched to the islands at the first call from the Tongan government.
“Initial assessments of the damage are still coming in. However, it is clear that Cyclone Gita has caused significant damage,” Peters said.
“This is an initial contribution that will enable us to respond quickly to requests from the government of Tonga to meet immediate needs, such as emergency shelter, water and sanitation. We stand ready to provide additional support as the extent of the damage becomes clear.”
Unicef New Zealand also said it was prepared to respond to the disaster and had already dispatched some emergency supplies to Fiji.
Australia has also joined in the relief effort (I presume given the source that the funds are in Australian dollars).
Australia and New Zealand have flown emergency aid supplies to Tonga where the clean-up from Cyclone Gita has begun, and as the category-four storm intensifies and heads west towards nearby Fiji.
The Australian Government said it was sending $350,000 worth of emergency supplies to Tonga immediately.
The Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, told ABC Radio Australia's Pacific Beat Program the Royal Australian Air Force was flying the aid to Tonga on Tuesday night.
"We are sending life-saving equipment, emergency shelter, kitchen and hygiene kits."
Senator Fierravanti-Wells said humanitarian relief supplies, including tarpaulins and water purification tablets, had been released through the Tongan Red Cross.
The New Zealand Government said its defence force was taking 12 tonnes of aid supplies and a 10-member team to Tonga to assess the damage
Gita is also threatening Fiji and Tonga in the past has given assistance to them following natural disasters. Thankfully it looks like there is an efficient system for assessing needs and getting relief aid in quickly.