According to Xinhua News Agency, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular news conference on January 20 that China is highly concerned about the disaster in Tonga and has taken urgent action to help The Tang side to provide disaster relief. The Red Cross Society of China has provided $100,000 in emergency humanitarian spot assistance to The Tang side. The Chinese government, through the Embassy in Tongyang, raised a batch of emergency supplies worth 280,000 yuan worth of drinking water, food and other emergency supplies as quickly as possible, and delivered them to Tonga on the 19th.
Destroyed infrastructure in Tonga Map Network
According to foreign media reports, on January 20, volcanic ash and other debris have been cleared from the runway of the international airport in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga. The first flights from Australia and New Zealand carrying humanitarian assistance and relief supplies also arrived in Tonga, followed by contactless deliveries. Relief supplies from other countries have also set off for Tonga and will arrive one after another to help the people of Tonga recover after the disaster.
At the same time, as local communications began to gradually resume, stories of disasters and survival miracles of the Tongans began to come to the outside world.
The disabled uncle drifted for 24 hours and was finally rescued
Expert: It's hard for athletes to complete such a challenge
The major catastrophe that erupted and triggered the tsunami in Tonga has killed three people and injured many others. The tsunami was felt thousands of kilometres away and killed at least two people in Peru. Disasters are often accompanied by miracles. Lisala Folau, a 57-year-old man in Tonga, survived a miracle that was challenging for athletes with a disabled body: rafting for more than 24 hours, passing through two uninhabited islands, twice failing to call for help from the police, but with amazing willpower, drifting and swimming to Tongatapu, the main island where the capital is located, a total distance of 13 kilometers.
Rafting routes of Lisara Faro, network
Farrow himself said, "You must know that I am a disabled person, and I can't even walk well." When I can walk, I believe a baby can walk faster than I do. ”
Faro is reportedly a retired carpenter on Atata Island. On the 15th, when the tsunami struck, he and his niece climbed into the trees to avoid the first wave, but were swept away by another, larger wave. He heard his son's call in the waves, but chose not to answer. "No son can abandon his father." Farrow said, "But for me, as a father, I chose not to answer. If I answered, he would jump into the sea to save me. He knew the danger of the situation, and thought that even if the worst came, it would be enough for him to bear it.
Faro was thus swept away by the waves. While drifting at sea, he also thought that if he could catch a tree trunk, the body would be easier to find after his death, so that his family could find him. Throughout the rafting process, he always remembered his little daughter with heart disease and his sister with diabetes. On the morning of the 16th, he saw the patrol boat of the police and quickly grabbed a piece of cloth and waved, but the police did not see him. When the ship returned, he tried again unsuccessfully for help. He knew he was on his own, swimming hard at sea. From about 7 p.m. on the 15th to about 9 p.m. on the 16th, he finally managed to swim to Sopu Island on the main island of Tongatab, where he was rescued by car.
Erica Radvagan, an Olympic-level swimming officer in the Pacific, was also amazed by Farrow's survival story. Erica analyzes that, first, he is fleeing a disaster, rather than simply falling off the boat. Escaping from an erupting volcano like that, being swept away by a tsunami, and still escaping in the dark under such circumstances, the physical and mental pressure is enormous. Moreover, there are many obstacles in the sea, and the waves and other factors will make it very difficult for him to swim. Secondly, even an experienced swimmer has physical limits and a given range, and to complete his survival, it takes a completely different psychology.
The first batch of emergency relief supplies came from China
The first "contactless" flight landed
According to Xinhua News Agency, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on January 20 that China is highly concerned about the disaster in Tonga and has taken urgent action to help The Tang side to provide disaster relief. The Red Cross Society of China has provided $100,000 in emergency humanitarian spot assistance to The Tang side. The Chinese government, through the Embassy in Tongyang, raised a batch of emergency supplies worth 280,000 yuan worth of drinking water, food and other emergency supplies as quickly as possible, and delivered them to Tonga on the 19th. When attending the delivery ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Tai yi of Tonga expressed his heartfelt thanks to the Chinese government for quickly extending a helping hand to Tang, which is the first batch of emergency relief materials received by the Tang government after the disaster, carrying the special friendship between Tang and China. Local people thanked the Chinese embassy one after another, emotionally saying that China is a true friend of Tonga.
On January 20, a RaJF C-130 aircraft carrying supplies prepared to fly from Auckland to Tonga, the network
According to foreign media reports, the New Zealand Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the 20th that a Lockheed C-130 "Hercules" aircraft of the New Zealand Air Force arrived in Tonga carrying cleaning supplies, purified water, evacuation equipment and sanitary equipment, as well as generators and communication equipment, and will stay in the local area for up to 90 minutes before returning to New Zealand as planned. The Royal New Zealand Navy's Protector-class offshore patrol vessel HMNZS Wellington is also expected to arrive at Nuku'alofa Port on the 27th ahead of other supply ships. The ship transported hydrological and diving personnel, and a helicopter could assist in transporting supplies. Its other naval warship, carrying 250,000 litres of water, will arrive in Tonga on the 28th.
On the same day, the first of the two RAF C-17s also landed in Tonga, and the second C-17 was already on its way. These flights will bring local evacuation gear, hygiene supplies, personal protective equipment to clean up ashes, water storage containers and other much-needed supplies. An Australian Navy ship carrying relief supplies will also soon sail from Brisbane to Tonga. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised in a statement on the 19th that he would provide support to Tonga in a safe way to prevent the epidemic, and promised the first batch of financial assistance to assist Tonga in post-disaster recovery, more than 700,000 US dollars.
It is reported that in order to prevent the spread of the new crown virus, these relief supplies will be delivered contactlessly. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been one and only one case in Tonga. According to WHO, more than 80% of Tonga's eligible population has been vaccinated. The Pacific island nation, which is completely free of coronavirus, is taking steps to keep the virus out of its borders.
Japan's Ministry of Defense also said on the 20th that it will send two C-130 aircraft carrying drinking water to Tonga.
Red Star News reporter Lin Rong
Edited by Guo Yu
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