Still struggling after cyclone

TONGA – Two weeks after the category four cyclone scored a direct hit on the capital Nuku’alofa and the main island of Tongatapu, up to 50,000 people are still without power and a consistent supply of clean drinking water.

Described as the worst storm ever experienced on Tongatapu, winds of 230 kilometres an hour destroyed or damaged at least 1400 homes and affected 75,000 people.

The electricity infrastructure was wrecked, with every second power pole down along with all the wires, meaning tens of thousands of people were left without safe drinking water because the water system relies on pumps.

Although those with tanks shared their drinking water and people drank from the thousands of coconuts that fell during the storm, the head of the Tonga Water Board, Sione Finau, describes it as a crisis.

But now Health Ministry chief executive officer Siale ‘Akau’ola said disaster authorities are slowly winning the battle to supply fresh water by treating drinking water and distributing bottled water while more power is being connected.

Tonga Power general manager of operations Seti Chen said it will be more than a month before electricity is fully restored.

He said 25 per cent of households on Tongatapu now have power, but more than 40,000 people are still without electricity, many of them on the outer areas of the island.

“That was one of the first priorities was to get the water system running in these villages so through the National Emergency Disaster Office, there’s been a lot of generators distributed and they’ve been working at getting the water pumps up and running,” Chen said.

He said linesmen were working around the clock, supplemented by 10 specialists technicians sent from Australia as part of the $3.5 million relief package.

- ABC