Relief Supplies

More than US$52,000 was raised in the 'Ofa Atu Tonga' fundraiser, which kicked off on February 4 at the Moana Pasifika pre-season game against the Chiefs.

The money has been used to purchase vital medicines and medical equipment, including PPE gear. These supplies will be distributed to hospitals across Tonga including the main hospital on Nuku'Alofa, Vaiola Hospital, and Ha'apai's Princess Fusipala Hospital.

Donations were received from more than 10,000 people from around the world including Japan, US, UK, Cook Islands and New Zealand.

Chief Executive of the Ministry of Information, Paula Ma’u said the MV Late was carrying bottles of LPG gas, drums of diesel and shopping.

Ma’u said, the vessel was travelling from Nuku’alofa to Pangai, where it was scheduled to quarantine for 72 hours before moving on to Nomuka.

There are no injuries nor death in the incident.

The boat appeared to have been overloaded and an attempt to speed up the process of bailing seawater, Ma’u told Kaniva News.

There has been a massive response from New Zealand communities.

Christchurch Tongan Community Secretary Sami Paeahelotu said youth groups, church leaders and families are among the many across Aotearoa fundraising and preparing their own shipping containers.

"It will be a great thing that for all people in Aotearoa to come together, but I think that's one thing that's important for us all in that not only as Tongan or Samoan or things and that but as humanity that we come together to help one another," he said.

The company announced last week it will contribute US$251,000 in goods and services toward disaster relief for the island nation – and scheduled a special voyage departing Auckland, New Zealand.

Its vessel Kamokuiki is due to arrive at Nuku’alofa today, Jan. 31.

Over a week ago, Matson delivered the first ocean shipment of goods to Tonga since the eruption of the underwater volcano that caused a tsunami earlier this month.

According to the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) one person was killed and 26 others injured by the category four cyclone which also destroyed more than 2000 homes.

The NDMO director Vasiti Soko said TC Harold forced hundreds of families to flee their homes with over 1500 people still sheltering in evacuation centres across Fiji's central, eastern and western divisions.

Ms Soko said relief teams were distributing food, shelter kits and medical supplies while continuing their disaster assessments in the remote islands.

Ma'a Fafine Moe Famili is an organisation that works with women and families and in the aftermath of the storm targeted assisting the elderly and those with disabilities.

The group has been allocated new funding to provide psychosocial support for people who are dealing with the loss of property and homes.

The organisation's head, Betty Hafoka-Blake, told RNZ they are involved with and have been counselling around 200 families.

Hafoka-Blake said they find a lot of people depressed and unhappy because of the great loss.

Red Cross' Pacific community engagement representative Malia Tua'i says cash is the fastest, most effective way to help cyclone victims at this stage.

"I've seen on Facebook that they're gathering food and clothes, that's not working smarter in our view. The need is now, by the time you gather all that food and clothes and whatnot, the disaster will be over. Cash is best." 

Red Cross will have volunteers at Queen's concert this weekend in Auckland, to continue raising funds for Cyclone Gita victims.

A Fiji Airways 737 aircraft left Nadi this morning with much-needed technical and emergency supplies. The supplies have been cleared in Nuku’alofa and will be ready for distribution by Digicel and relief agency personnel later today.

Digicel CEO Pacific, Colin Stone said, “The terrible effects of Tropical Cyclone Gita in Tonga are now clear and many people are in urgent need of assistance like water, shelter and food”.