Twenty-eight small new houses reconstructed after Tropical Cyclone Ian devastated Ha'apai over a year ago have been completed and handed over to owners in a ceremony on Friday, February 20.

At Ha‘ato‘u, the Governor of Ha’apai Mo’ale Finau handed over keys the beneficiaries, who sat patiently waiting to receive the keys for a roof over their head.

Another 59 houses are currently under construction out of a total of 200 to be built under the project. The two-room dwellings measure 4.8m x 7.2m.

The reconstruction was funded under a 50/50 arrangement between the World Bank and the Tongan Government.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Ian - the most powerful storm ever recorded in Tongan waters - devastated Ha‘apai on January 11, 2014. The Category 5 system brought winds of over 200 km per hour and hit the island groups of Vava’u and Ha’apai prompting the Prime Minister to declare a state of emergency.