Three people are seriously injured, buildings have been destroyed and there are “roofs everywhere” in Tonga following Tropical Cyclone Gita’s visit last night.
The category four cyclone brought winds of over 233km/h overnight, ripping roofs off houses, destroying buildings and cutting power to the island. Tonga's parliament house is one of the buildings destroyed.
His Majesty’s Armed Forces have been clearing debris from roads all morning to allow emergency services to get across the island of Tongatapu to assess the damage.
“Wow, it’s a mess,” said Graham Kenna, of Tonga’s National Emergency Management Office.
“There is so much damage, roofs everywhere, it’s the worst situation I have been in.
“A lot of the the old heritage buildings, some that have stood for over 100 years, have been destroyed.
“A large number of houses have been completely destroyed also.”
With the roads cleared, emergency services had now branched out to the east, west and the capital to do initial assessments of the damage, Kenna said.
“The initial assessment will cover if people have homes to go back to.
“After that we will know just what we are dealing with.
“Later, a more in-depth assessment will cover water, sanitation, then agriculture and what items people have lost.”
They had emergency supplies on standby and emergency funds were available.
“Electricity is out on the whole island and will likely take a week to get restored.
“Food is not a problem, as the island produces most of its food, but water will be as many water tanks have been badly damaged and those still standing need electricity to run the pumps.”
There should be enough to last the week though, he said.
The aim was to get the hospital fully operational by tomorrow evening.
Three people had been seriously injured by flying debris, and many others had less serious injuries.
There were no confirmed deaths, but “some rumours flying around”, Kenna said.
There were also no reports of people trapped in buildings.
“If there were it is likely we would know about it by now.”
They had not been in touch with all evacuation centres but knew at least 1000 families had evacuated their homes since yesterday.
“We were in touch with them through the night and they are all safe with plenty of food and water.
“The Tongan people are handling it very well.”
A curfew would remain in place in Tonga for the rest of the day.
New Zealander Joanna Bourke, who lives there, said she was "fearing the worst".
She told Newstalk ZB Early Edition host Kate Hawkesby that the night was "horrible" as the cyclone "roared".
Tonga had been hit really badly, she says, although she would have to assess damage to her own home after dawn.
She had looked outside with the use of a torch and "it didn't look good", with pieces of wood everywhere, coconut fronds and fallen trees.
Bourke described herself as a tough cookie, but conceded that when the cyclone was roaring through, she was scared.
Polynesia country director for Oxfam, Jane Foster, told Newstalk ZB that providing access to clean water will be a priority for aid agencies.
Many residents rely on water tanks which have been damaged or destroyed in the category four storm overnight. Oxfam have water filtration systems ready for use.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade emergency management team and Defence Force aircraft were at the ready, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told TV3's The AM Show on Tuesday.
Officials were waiting for first light so the damage can be surveyed.
"We will be waiting for the Tongan government to tell us exactly what their needs are, as soon as they are able, and then we can essentially kick in our response as soon as possible," Ardern said.
