Most Recent Disaster Declaration:
Tsunami, 10-06-2009
On September 29, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, 440 miles north-northeast of Nuku’Alofa, Tonga, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake generated a tsunami surge that resulted in waves reportedly reaching as high as 20 feet, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The waves particularly affected the small northern island of Niuatoputapu, located 400 miles north of Nuku’Alofa, killing 9 people and displacing approximately 800 others. The Tonga Red Cross Society (TRCS) reported that the earthquake and associated tsunami destroyed 76 houses, damaged 38 others, and destroyed or damaged water storage facilities and crops.
On October 6, U.S. Ambassador to Fiji, Nauru, Kiribati, and Tonga and Tuvalu, C. Steven McGann, declared a disaster due to the effects of the tsunami. In response, USAID/OFDA provided $50,000 through the U.S. Embassy in Suva, Fiji, to the TRCS for disaster relief activities.
For information on additional USAID disaster responses in Republic of Congo, please see OFDA Annual Reports.
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