Communications have been down throughout Tonga since the eruption on Saturday, but a ship made it to the outlying islands of Nomuka, Mango and Fonoifua on Wednesday, and reported back that few homes remain standing after settlements were hit with 15-metre -high waves, said Katie Greenwood, the head of delegation in the Pacific for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which had two people aboard the vessel to help assess the damage.
In anticipation of the country's needs, New Zealand has already sent two ships. One is carrying 250,000 litres of water and a desalination plant with the capacity to produce 70,000 more litres per day, and another is bringing a survey and diving team to help assess the damage to shipping channels, ports and wharf infrastructure.
"We stand ready to assist where it is useful to the government of Tonga, and where they are satisfied with COVID protocols," she said. Volunteers have been working to sweep ash away to clear a path for aid planes to land, and there was hope it may be ready as early as Thursday. Satellite images captured the spectacular eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano, with a plume of ash, steam and gas rising like a giant mushroom above the South Pacific. The volcano is located about 64 kilometres north of Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa.
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