Results for Natural events

A fleet of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs, or drones) have been transported to Tonga with the support of the Australian government, to provide a comprehensive visual assessment of the damage caused by Cyclone Gita, the World Bank reports today. Tonga has also received a payout of more than US$3.5 million from the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Company – the first payout made by the insurance platform established in 2016.

Many people are living in evacuation centres on Tongatapu today after 119 homes were completely destroyed and 1131 partially damaged by Tropical Cyclone Gita, initial assessment reports revealed today, February 14. Damage figures are expected to rise. Reports from outer islands are still coming in.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Gita is forecast to hit Tonga with up to Category 4 force winds from tomorrow morning, Monday February 12, according to the latest forecast from the Nadi Tropical Cyclone Centre in Fiji. Tongans are handicapped in their preparations for the storm as strict sabbatical laws prevent Sunday trading for emergency supplies. At 4:30pm today the capital, Nuku'alofa remains quiet and sleepy. Tonga Met officers said this afternoon that if the cyclone speeds up from its present slow moving approach it might arrive earlier. A hurricane warning remains in place for most of Tonga. Tonga should be on high alert until the storm passes on Tuesday morning.

Three low pressure systems circling the South Pacific region today may potentially form cyclones by the weekend, says Tonga's Meteorology Department, who are monitoring Tropical Depression O7F near Vanuatu which is moving toward Fiji. Meanwhile, Tonga MET’s forecast to midnight tomorrow issued at 1:00pm today warns of strong wind and heavy rain for the Niuas.

For the first time in 60 years, only one tropical storm has struck the Southern Hemisphere so far this year in Indonesia in late November, compared to an average of at least five storms by Christmas Day. However, at least eight to 10 tropical cyclones are expected to hit this season, while the sea temperature is warmer than usual.

Tonga Police are advising the public to be safe when going into the sea this summer. So far this year there have been 25 sea rescue missions that resulted in 91 lives being saved.

An 'Ocean Tides' workshop aims to strengthening ocean and maritime forecasting to improve safety and resilience. The workshop is hosted by Tonga Meteorological Service from November 13-17 in Nuku'alofa.

The Tongan Government is looking to commit more than US$25 million towards the development of multi-hazard early warning systems over the next-three years. By Linny Folau.

A Green Climate Fund (GCF) Pacific Structured Dialogue attended by 140 regional delegates is being held in Nuku’alofa from July 18-21, to help Pacific countries access climate financing.