By Linny Folau

Terrified, and huddled together inside two church halls, the entire population of tiny Mo‘unga‘one Island – around 100 people, endured the destruction of their village by Cyclone Ian during the afternoon of Saturday January 11.

“We did nothing but listen to the full force of the cyclone's destruction outside. At one point during the battering, the doors at the hall got smashed open by the wind, but because there were many of us there we managed to bolt it up. It was scary,” Sione Taumata (33) told Matangi Tonga from Ha‘ano today.

Communications were cut off during the storm. Now, as people get their cell phones working again, their stories of survival are continuing to come out of the isolated islands in the Ha‘apai Group of central Tonga.

Mo'unga'one families are living in tents after Cyclone Ian. Photo Tonga Red Cross, January 2014.

Sione said that he was thankful to be alive after the two hours battering from the frightful winds around the powerfully-intense eye of the Category 4-5 storm, which passed very close to the exposed and low-lying Mo‘unga‘one, located about 20km to the west of Ha‘ano Island.

All except two of the 30 buildings in the village were destroyed or severely damaged. Cyclone Ian left only the two halls standing.

It is the island where Sione was born and was living with his elderly parents who are over 70-years old.

“I have never seen or experienced such a powerful cyclone in my life. When the full force of the cyclone hit the island around 2:00pm on Saturday - approximately 60 people, including myself, had already taken shelter inside the Free Wesleyan Church Hall. The other residents were at the Church of Tonga Hall. We huddled inside and heard the cyclone roaring loudly and it was terrifying because I could hear everything being demolished or thrown around outside,” he said.

Sione said they were lucky because after hearing the cyclone warnings on the radio, the villagers had managed to move all of their seven elderly people to the halls to take shelter.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Ian over Tonga. 11 January 2014.

Big trees snapped

Sione said that the Mo'unga'one people remained in the hall throughout the storm and overnight.  On Sunday when they came out they realised the full extent of the destruction.

“Most of the homes were destroyed and to show how powerful Ian was, the big trees were snapped and broken,” he said.

The Tongan navy patrol boat VOEA, arrived at the island soon after the storm passed.

“We received immediate relief supplies last week that included tents for temporary shelter and food,” said Sione.

The Mo'unga'one families are now living in tents.

Water

Sione, who is currently volunteering for the Tonga Red Cross relief effort, said the pressing need now is for clean drinking water. There remained only two water tanks for drinking as the other tanks were either dirty or had no water. The food items were nearly running out so they needed more supplies while they were trying to rebuild their communities.

“We are fine now, everyone is just managing to clean up the destruction to their homes. The most important thing is we are alive and we now need all the assistance we can get to get back on our feet,” he said.

Worst affected

Tonga's National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) reported that Mo'unga'one  suffered 73% destruction of its buildings making it one of the worst affected communities.

 Cyclone Ian, left one person dead in Lifuka and injured 14 when it passed across central Tonga, causing millions of pa'anga in damage to infrastructure on January 11.

Tropical Cyclone Ian passes  through Tonga. 11 January 2014.