Aid arrives in Tonga after ash-strewn airport runway is cleared with ‘human power’

The arrival of the badly needed assistance comes after Tongans cleared part of the runway by hand because equipment was destroyed or inaccessible, according to New Zealand’s defense minister, Peeni Henare.

“I’ve been told it is human power that is sweeping clear the debris and the ash off the runway at the moment,” Henare told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation late Wednesday, adding that there were reports the ash was up to a meter (3.3 feet) deep in places.

Aerial photos taken a few days after the explosion appeared to show people clearing the runway by hand, surrounded by a normally verdant landscape now blanketed in ash.

“The most stark description that was given to me in the briefing from the [New Zealand] defense force was the lack of color,” Henare told the ABC. “You imagine Pacific islands, the tropical nature of the place and the bright color of the sands and beaches. It’s all very gray and dull because of the ash that just blankets the entire land."

Videos posted to social media appeared to show a beachside resort on Tonga’s main island reduced to rubble. Some houses were knocked akimbo, with a layer of dark gray ash on everything.

Australia’s defense minister, Peter Dutton, said it was “not a great picture” in Tonga, despite reports that the islands had escaped the mass casualties initially feared. The Tongan government says at least three people — two Tongans and a British woman — died in the disaster.

Dutton told Australian radio station 2GB on Thursday that the C-17 Globemaster plane would be bringing bottled water, desalination and purification kits, cooking equipment, PPE, tents and tools to Tonga, where aid agencies have warned the volcanic ash has contaminated water supplies. Also on the plane was a skid-steer loader equipped with a sweeper to expedite ash removal at the airport.

“There is obviously a lot of ash on the runway,” he said. “We need to make sure that it is safe for some of the aid flights to land.”

Dutton said a second flight would land in Tonga later on Thursday, while an Australian ship, HMAS Adelaide, would depart Brisbane later this week.

A New Zealand Air Force cargo plane also was scheduled to touch down in Tonga on Thursday. A patrol boat was expected to arrive Thursday night to survey the port and harbor, and a larger ship would bring supplies on Friday, according to New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

“The delivery of supplies will be contactless and the aircraft is expected to be on the ground for up to 90 minutes before returning to New Zealand,” Henare said in a statement.

Australian officials have said they, too, will leave supplies without coming into contact with Tongans.

As one of the few places in the world to avoid community transmission of the coronavirus, Tonga is wary of foreign troops and aid workers potentially introducing the virus.

The rapid responses from Australia and New Zealand reflect both their concerns over Tonga and a desire to show leadership in the region, according to Jonathan Pryke, director of the Lowy Institute’s Pacific Islands Program in Sydney.

“There is that soft power game for providing this sort of support,” he said. “If you needed an extra driver to respond to whatever needs Tonga may have, then of course there is China lurking in the background.”

China provided the island nation with more than $100 million in loans to rebuild after devastating riots in 2006. Tonga has been able to push back the payments but China has refused to cancel the debt.

Earlier this week, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd linked his country’s response to the natural disaster to combating Chinese influence in the islands.

“Australia must be first and foremost giving assistance to Tonga,” he tweeted. “Failing that China will be there in spades.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent Tonga’s king a message this week saying Beijing was ready to provide “as much support as its capacity allows,” according to state-run Xinhua News Agency.

With Australia, New Zealand and Japan already sending planes loaded with supplies, what Tonga most needs from China is debt relief, Pryke said.

“Ten years ago if we had this kind of disaster, nobody would be talking about geopolitics. Everybody would be talking about how we can help,” he said. “Now it shows just how contested the region is. In every conversation we have to talk about geopolitics.”

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