New warehouse for National Emergency Management Office [1]
Tuesday, February 16, 2021 - 18:08
A new warehouse for the National Emergency Management Office to safely stockpile goods to assist in times of disasters, was commissioned on February 16, at Poutaha.
The NEMO warehouse was designed and built considering the hazards that Tonga is prone to like tropical cyclones, earthquakes, tsunami and droughts.
Funded by the Government of Australia, the warehouse was constructed with AUD$605,000 with non-food items valued at AUD$82,000, also donated.
The Australian High Commissioner HE Mr Adrian Morrison said, they wanted to do as much as they could to help Tonga prepare for unfortunate acts of nature.
The donated supplies included tarpaulins, blankets, kitchen supplies and emergency tool kits. This will add to Tonga’s capacity to respond to natural disasters, he said.
"I hope very much you don’t need them this cyclone season or into the future. But we want to support you in being prepared."
He said Australia’s intention in supporting Tonga in responding to natural disasters was to save lives, alleviate suffering, enhance human dignity and strengthen preparedness and response.
Australia will provide an additional AUD$40,000 to install 14 water tanks, guttering and connections at the warehouse, to give NEMO the capacity to respond to any need for water from affected communities.
Tonga
MEIDECC CEO Paula Ma'u thanked Australia for this generous assistance. “The warehouse will safely and securely store prepositioned stockpile to ensure Tonga is prepared to provide immediate relief to affected people and communities in disaster,” he said.
The location was selected since the warehouse in Vaololoa was too small to hold their stock in an area susceptible to flooding.
Stock from the current warehouse in Vaololoa will be moved for storage to this warehouse facility. Stock which has been donated by Tonga’s humanitarian partners such as from Japan, Australian Aid and the Government of New Zealand will also be stored here.
“Our NGO partners will also benefit from the new warehouse with stocks provided by Caritas with support from Oxfam NZ and UNICEF.
“We are thankful for the donation from Australia, a container filled with non food items for affected communities in disaster. The goods include kitchen kids, shelter tool kits, tarpaulins for shelter and blankets,” he said.
Gifts received by NEMO last year were distributed during its response efforts of the impact of Tropical Cyclone Harold.
A NEMO website [2] was also launched at the event. This website has information on current disasters, potential incoming hazards and tips on how to be best prepare for before and after.