U.S., allies continue lifesaving efforts to Tonga in volcano aftermath
FORUM Staff
The United States Navy’s USS Sampson participated in a multinational effort providing aid to Tonga following the January 15, 2022, eruption of the undersea volcano Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai.
The explosion could be seen from space and heard as far away as Alaska. An ensuing tsunami damaged villages and resorts and was felt as far away as Japan, North America and South America. At least three people were killed.
Helicopters from the Sampson, a guided-missile destroyer, assessed damage and dropped supplies to residents. The Sampson also conducted a replenishment at sea with New Zealand oiler HMNZS Aotearoa. (Pictured: The USS Sampson conducts a replenishment at sea with the New Zealand oiler HMNZS Aotearoa during disaster relief efforts in Tonga.)
The Sampson provided “lifesaving efforts and assistance alongside France, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan and others,” U.S. Navy Capt. Kyle Raines, public affairs director at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said in a news release. “The multinational approach by allies and partners to assist friends in need demonstrates our shared values towards regional stability and security.”
The U.S. also committed U.S. $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance, in addition to an initial U.S. $100,000 in immediate assistance provided to the Pacific island, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Assistance from other nations continues to arrive. Japan sent hundreds of Japan Self-Defense Forces personnel as well as relief supplies that included drinking water and equipment for cleaning away volcanic ash, according to The Japan Times newspaper. Australia, Fiji, France, New Zealand and the U.K. have deployed supply ships. The Australian government also pledged U.S. $2.12 million to assist Tonga, according to Reuters.
“The government and people of Tonga have rallied in the face of these twin natural disasters. They have done much to respond in challenging circumstances,” France, Australia and New Zealand — known collectively as FRANZ — said in a joint statement, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “In response to the need expressed by the government of Tonga, the FRANZ partners swiftly deployed maritime and air assets to support the Tongan response, deploying reconnaissance flights and delivering emergency assistance by air and sea. The emergency assistance has included drinking water, food, emergency shelters, electricity generation and desalination equipment, telecommunications equipment, medical equipment and hygiene kits, as well as technology for underwater and hydrographic assessment of port accessibility.”
The People’s Republic of China has also contributed aid, with Beijing claiming it was the first to supply drinking water and food supplies following the volcano. Those claims, according to Reuters, could not be independently verified.
Across Tonga, 90% of power had been restored by the end of January, according to OCHA.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke with Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni to express her country’s concern for Tonga’s people as New Zealand’s first Navy vessel arrived with supplies.
“I asked if there was anything the prime minister wished to share directly with the Tongan community here in New Zealand, which I could record on my phone,” Ardern posted on Instagram.
Sovaleni’s response: “I praise God for his mercy and for keeping us safe so that we are able to be here this blessed day. I thank you all for your prayers during this challenging time.”
IMAGE CREDIT: PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS JOHN ALLEN/U.S. NAVY
