The path to recovery
Tongan families who lost everything, and live in the shadow of the next disaster need support to build back stronger and more resilient.
This Christmas, you can help communities plan ahead so they can respond not if, but when the next disaster strikes.
Tupou was eagerly anticipating the impending birth of her grandson when the volcano erupted in 2022. Credit: Nicole Chehine.
How your Christmas donations help
BUILD AN EVACUATION CENTRE
Tonga is at risk of tropical cyclones and storms, tsunamis, volcanic activity, and drought. An evacuation centre will offer a safe haven during disasters like tsunamis and earthquakes. This centre would be a sanctuary for all, providing safety and security for the community for when the next disaster strikes.
RECOVERING FROM TRAUMA
Beyond physical aid, Pauline stresses the importance of psychosocial support. Even a year after the eruption, many in the community still grapple with trauma. The support can help families cope with the trauma associated with surviving a disaster and the loss of homes and livelihoods.
STORING EMERGENCY SUPPLIES
When another natural disaster takes place, Tonga needs the support of essential supplies which can be housed in a warehouse provided by your support and Caritas Tonga.
You can help support communities: Together, there is hope
When the 2022 Tonga volcano erupted, many people felt unprepared and scared. Many people fled, some seeking refuge in a chapel on the top of a hill. This Christmas, building an evacuation centre means that the Tonga community can have a sense of peace knowing that there is a safe place to seek refuge. This essential evacuation centre can hold as many as 500 people!
An essential warehouse will stock emergency supplies such as blankets, hygiene kits, water pumps, family tents and more.
The experience of living through such a disaster was traumatic for many. This trauma fosters fear and anxiety about future disasters, a distressing prospect for communities already vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change. Psychosocial support can help families cope with the trauma associated with surviving a disaster and the loss of homes and livelihoods.
Providing these resources is only possible with your support.
After the volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga, any people from the community sought refuge in a chapel on the top of a hill. Everyone slept where they could on the pews of the chapel, some staying at the chapel for up to a week. Credit: Pauline Bourke.
“I believe that getting a new evacuation center is a good project for us for disaster times. It can be a safe place for everyone who is running away.”
Help families like Tupou's who have been impacted by disaster
60-year-old Tupou is one of the thousands of people affected by the volcano and tsunami.
She lives in Tonga with her husband, son, daughter, son-in-law and grandson on a house not far from the beach. Tupou was eagerly anticipating the impending birth of her grandson when the volcano erupted.
On the day of the eruption, she heard loud booms like cannons coming from out at sea.The Hunga Ha’apai volcano that has been smoking for days was now unleashing plumes of smoke.
The waves began to swell abnormally, sending shockwaves of fear through the community. Tupou, like countless others in Tonga, hurried to higher ground, seeking safety from the impending disaster.
Tupou, her family and her community in Tonga are in desperate need for an evacuation centre, where they can seek safety and be better prepared for the next disaster.
Tupou's Christmas wish is for Tonga's community to be better prepared for next time disaster strikes. This is only possible with your support.
60-year-old Tupou lives in Tonga with her husband, son, daughter, son-in-law and grandson near the beach and experienced the trauma of the Tonga volcanic eruption. Photo: Caritas Tonga
