Tonga removed a thick layer of ash from the runway of its international airport after several days of work, paving the way for aid to arrive.
The volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami in the remote kingdom of Tonga left three confirmed deaths, but authorities fear there could be more given the destruction recorded on several islands.
Tonga removed a thick layer of ash from the runway of its international airport on Wednesday after several days of work, opening the way for the arrival of urgent humanitarian aid in the island country hit by a violent volcano eruption.
UN crisis coordinator Jonathan Veitch said the airstrip on the main island of the Pacific kingdom, Tongapatu, became operational again after being covered by five to 10 cm of volcanic ash.
It is “clear but not yet in use,” Veitch said, adding that Tonga will be able to receive urgently needed aid flights from Australia and New Zealand on Thursday.
Some 84,000 people, more than 80 percent of Tonga’s population, have been affected by last Saturday’s volcanic eruption and tsunami, according to the UN.
Tonga: the images that reveal the before and after of the volcano eruption
Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric offered the data in his daily press conference and pointed out that the United Nations considers it a priority to guarantee the supply of water and food to residents and the reestablishment of communications in the archipelago.
The rupture of a submarine cable has left the country without telephone and internet connections and is complicating an assessment of the damage and the necessary emergency response.
Dujarric confirmed that all the houses on the island of Mango have been destroyed, while only two remained standing on Fonoifua, and recalled that the evacuation of the entire population of both is underway.
Meanwhile, he pointed out that work continues at the international airport and it is expected that it will be operational again this Thursday.
According to the UN, although the aid mechanisms have been put in place, it is very difficult to reach remote areas to support the population and there are significant logistical challenges in getting supplies from abroad, either by sea or air.
Added to these difficulties, he explained, is the need to comply with Tonga’s strict protocols against covid-19.
Unicef, the United Nations agency for children, is going to send drinking water and other aid through an Australian navy ship that is scheduled to set sail next Friday.
The eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano sent a 30-kilometre-high plume of smoke, captured spectacularly by satellites, sending ash, gas and acid rain across large areas of the Pacific.
It also caused a tsunami that reached the coasts of the United States, Japan and Chile. In Tonga, the rise in sea level reached “up to fifteen meters,” the government of this country said in a statement.
The balance of damage is hampered by the fall in international communications after the rupture of a submarine cable whose repair can take at least four weeks.
Almost the entire population of the island of 100,000 people has been affected and initial assessments point to an urgent need for clean water.
“Water supplies across Tonga have been seriously impacted by the ash and saltwater from the tsunami,” said Katie Greenwood of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
He indicated that there is a “growing danger of diseases such as cholera and diarrhea” due to the water situation.
Australia and New Zealand have had military cargo planes ready with aid to send to the island, but had been unable to leave due to the runway situation.
The two countries have also sent aid by sea, with New Zealand naval vessels HMNZS Wellington and HMNZS Aotearoa due to arrive in Tongan waters on Friday with a cargo of water, a desalination plant and specialist personnel to assess shipping channels.
China also announced the dispatch of emergency aid such as drinking water, food and relief equipment.
Tonga has been virtually cut off from the world since the eruption and relies on satellite phones to communicate with the outside world. The situation can continue like this for at least a month. (I)
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