Much needed food supplies were today distributed to impoverished families in Popua, who were left living under tin sheds or damaged houses by Tropical Cyclone Gita last week.

Food Bins were given out to 10 families by Ni Fonua from Seattle, Washington, who is in Tonga to start a Tonga Film Commission.

His campaign aims that for 10 weeks they will pick ten most affected families and supply them food that should last for up to 10 days.

Families like ‘Ofa he Lotu and his wife Mapui Folau were emotional  expressing their non-stop gratitude, when the team suddenly turned up with the supplies this morning.

'Ofa said their small house was completely destroyed and they are now living under a tin shed.

"Our town officer had given us a tent but we told him to give it to those who just had nothing to live under. We are poor but we have this shed and the roof is still intact," he said.

"You all see the state we are in right now. Our house is down but at the same time there are more worse-off families than us here in Popua."

Another family, father 'Epenisa Takapautolo who has a large family said he lives with his children and grandchildren under a little house that was barely standing.

"Our roof got blown off. We are grateful for any help we can get at this stage. I have not received any tents besides the tarpaulin on our roof, we know help will come so we are grateful for these people’s kind hearts."

Immediate help

Ni said he drove down last Saturday and saw that only tents, tarpaulin and first aid kits were donated to some areas, and talked to some families who only had noodles to eat.

"I came back and wanted to help immediately. I also heard the King’s national address, where he said the cyclone's destruction had collapsed the barriers between people and urged that we love and help each other. This moved me so much and now we are here," he said.

The food supplies distributed included powdered milk cans, rice, peanut butter, flour, a box consisting of 24 small corn beef cans, sugar, oil, crackers and tea.

“Hopefully the food we provide will last them seven to 10-days. But we we will continue to monitor the families, and we will also supply loaves of bread in the evenings.”

The donation continues in Popua and Patangata for 10 weeks.

There has been rapidly growing settlement in the swampy exposed area at the entrance to the Fanga 'Uta Lagoon over the last few years, under new land allocation arrangements.