The UN and its partner agencies are readying relief efforts for the remote South Pacific island nation of Tonga following the massive eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano on January 15 that triggered a tsunami, a spokesman of the world body said.
“Our humanitarian colleagues and the government report significant infrastructural damage around Tongatapu (the main island) and no contact from the Ha’apai group of islands,” said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The World Food Programme is mapping efforts to deploy relief supplies and staff. The agency is sending its emergency communications cluster to help restore communications lines in Tonga.
The spokesman said the Unicef is awaiting government confirmation before transporting prepositioned emergency supplies from Fiji and Brisbane, Australia, warehouses. The supplies include water, sanitation, and hygiene kits, water containers and buckets and water-field test kits, tarps, recreational kits for children, and tents.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the tsunami that occurred in the aftermath of the massive eruption has brought extensive damage on the western beaches of Tongatapu, with several resorts and houses destroyed or badly damaged.
Other agencies working on relief include the UN Population Fund, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Organization for Migration and the World Health Organization, the office said. The agencies work closely with relevant authorities in Tonga, humanitarian partners and donor countries.
The New Zealand and Australian governments announced emergency funding for the immediate aid response, and Canberra is preparing a vessel to sail to Tonga with relief supplies, OCHA said. Tonga’s National Emergency Management Office is leading assessments and government response.
