Results for Natural events

The depletion of water sources in places around the world by 2040, will affect up to 600 million children worldwide, warns a UNICEF report released on March 22 to mark World Water Day. The report focuses on how the wellbeing of children is threatened by lack of access to safe water and how a changing climate will worsen the situation in the future. Pacific Island countries face particular challenges.

An earthquake magnitude of 6.6 or 6.9 was felt as a short shake in the Tongan capital at 6:29 am today. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center advised that there is no tsunami warning advisory or threat, due to the depth of the earthquake at 259 miles.

A gale warning is in force for the two Niuas, Vava’u and Ha’apai land areas. While a strong wind warning is now in force for Tongatapu and ‘Eua land areas.

Unsettled weather continues to affect Tongatapu this weekend as a strong wind warning remains in force for the main island and ‘Eua land areas, due to Tropical Depression 12F located 30km northwest of Nuku’alofa at 3:00pm today Friday, February 17.

Warnings of heavy rain, flash flooding, and strong to gale force winds for all of Tonga tonight, have been issued by Tonga Met as a tropical depression located around 465km west, northwest of Nuku’alofa is moving slowly toward Tonga.

Unusually low tropical cyclone activity since November means that February is expected to be the month with the hottest temperature for Tonga and the most likely month for tropical cyclones, according to Tonga's Met office.

The tsunami threat from a Fiji earthquake today has now passed, the NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Ceter in Hawaii, has advised. Fiji coastal areas were warned following a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, at 11:53pm local Fiji time today. Tonga Met advised there was no threat for Tonga.

Tonga could expect two to three cyclones this season, and Tonga Met says there's a chance that at least one of them could be a Severe Tropical Cyclone (Category 3 and above). The current cyclone season began on 1 November and runs through to the end of April 2017.

Twenty-five participants joined an Emergency Shelter Kits Training from September 7-9 in Nuku'alofa aimed to build capacity on the use of emergency shelter during emergencies, disasters and recovery period.