The World Bank has disbursed an initial US$8 million in emergency financing to support the Kingdom of Tonga’s response and recovery following the devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami on January 15, the agency announced Thursday.
The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai undersea volcano, located approximately 65 kilometers north of Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu, erupted on January 15 creating an ash plume at least 30 kilometers high and 260 kilometers wide, the agency said.
According to the statement, this once in 1000-year event triggered a series of tsunami waves affecting islands across the nation, with wave impacts in Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the entire western seaboard of the American continent (from Alaska to Chile). At least three fatalities have so far been confirmed in Tonga.
These funds will provide resources the Government can use to reestablish basic services and help Tongan families most affected the World Bank said,
The support, requested by the Tongan Government, comes through the Tonga Second Resilience Development Policy Operation with a Catastrophe-Deferred Drawdown Option which allows urgent disbursement of funds in the event of a catastrophic event. It is funded by the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the poorest and most vulnerable countries, the agency said.
“While a full picture of the damage from this major disaster will require further assessment, we know that damages are significant Tongans have extraordinary strength and resilience,” Stephen Ndegwa, World Bank Country Director for Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands said in the statement. “The World Bank stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Tongans at this challenging time, as we will continue to do so in the months and years to come,” it added.
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