ReliefWeb

Tropical Cyclone Waka mainly affected the islands of Niuafo'ou and Niuatoputapu in Northern Tonga, the Vava'u Group, and to a lesser extent the Ha'apai Group in Central Tonga. It was the most damaging cyclone to strike Tonga since Cyclone Isaac in 1982. 60% of buildings including 1,500 homes and 20 schools were damaged in Vava'u, and 10% of buildings including 12 homes and 3 schools were damaged in Niuafo'ou. Power lines were also brought down, jetties damaged, small fishing boats sunk, and subsistence and cash crops (vanilla and kava) across all these islands were damaged or lost. Damage to crops on Vava'u was estimated at USD 10 million, and losses to fisheries at USD 2 million. Crops on Ha'apai also fared badly, not least because they had suffered from drought for the five months before the cyclone. The total cost of the damage was USD 51 million, of which 74% was damage to public and private buildings. (OCHA, 6 Feb 2002)