International Disaster Management: Tonga

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Table of Contents

Disaster Overview
Cooperation and Help Quality
Legality of Actions
Security Measures
Conclusion
Reference List

Disaster Overview

International disasters may have different effects depending on the countries that they impact, their type, and the response that follows the crisis. Some socially, politically, environmentally, and economically vulnerable nations that may be affected are third-world countries with small populations, relatively new independent statuses, and little internal resources to deal with natural, man-made, or mixed disasters. Tonga, the Polynesian kingdom, has recently experienced two natural disasters that have caused significant damage in terms of people’s livelihood, communication systems, access to supplies, and even death. The calamities themselves have affected multiple states, including Japan and Hawaii. However, the impact on Tonga was the most highlighted, which is why the international community has mobilized forces to provide aid and support the small nation in terms of dealing with the outcomes. There were several challenges when it came to following the countries’ regulations that enforce the sovereignty and the security that the government protects. The international disaster management entities have made sure to provide the necessary resources while following Tonga’s regulations. This paper will evaluate the response to Tonga’s situation:

Evaluating the worth of cooperation and help quality offered by international partners;
Analyzing the legality of activities that are allowed during natural disasters;
Examining security measures that cannot be ignored even in emergencies.

Cooperation and Help Quality

Tonga’s example shows how one natural disaster provokes another one and increases the severity of damaging effects. The initial underwater volcanic eruption caused the communication systems to collapse and water supplies to get contaminated. These events were drastically worsened by a tsunami that damaged houses, businesses, and the overall infrastructure. The international community has been relatively quick to respond to the disaster and its effects despite the challenges of establishing communication and following Tonga’s security guidelines to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Recent news has mentioned Australia and New Zealand deploying ships and planes with supplies and assisting Tonga (‘World rushes aid to tsunami,’ 2022). Thus, New Zealand has sent a maritime vessel with water supplies, and Australia has sent aircraft with power generators, certain equipment, and other necessities that the government has requested. Red Cross was one of the international organizations that support countries during such disasters. The Pacific Head Delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross has established contact with the Tonga Red Cross headquarters to provide help.

The United Nations (UN) has not been actively sending help and volunteers or specialists to Tonga land. The contributions of this organization are crucial during natural calamities that lead to the destruction of a country’s infrastructure. While these measures would be effective, there needs to be a consideration in terms of the country’s aim to maintain security during a global pandemic. Tonga is not financially able to deal with the damages of the tsunami while managing a national pandemic. Thus, the UN followed the national guidelines to minimize the contact between locals and foreign citizens due to the increased risk of infection as a new challenge for the state. Tonga diplomats mentioned that any aid could be quarantined, limiting the desired outcomes from international organizations’ aid (Menon & Needham, 2022). According to the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC), the expected outcomes are reducing human suffering, replacing material damage, and recovery (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 2018). While COVID-19-related restrictions exist and the UN’s aid is limited, Tonga cannot meet all recovery goals in a short period.

Legality of Actions

While Tonga’s situation still remains deplorable, international organizations and foreign governments that are willing to help are to rely on specific guidelines established through acts, laws, and regulations either by Tonga or international entities. Following international law like the UN Charter, humanitarian assistance is based on international cooperation to solve global problems at economic, social, and cultural levels with the country’s consent (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 2018). Any country is entitled to its sovereignty despite the disasters that may have limited communication between representatives of different nations. Thus, unless a state does not explicitly allow either international organizations or other governments to intervene, humanitarian help remains impossible. In Tonga’s case, the UN spokesperson mentioned that even though contact with Tonga authorities is limited due to damaged communication, the local government asked for assistance (‘World rushes aid to tsunami,’ 2022). Thus, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan were legally correct to send planes and ships with provisions as they did not compromise the sovereignty premise. Since the country’s authorities allowed foreign organizations and governments to intervene, the help is within the legal framework.

The countries that were the first to respond to Tonga’s call for assistance in disaster management are Australia and New Zealand. The fast response is attributed both to the fact that the countries are in relatively close proximity and have certain coalitions that imply cooperation. All three nations are a part of the Pacific Community and the South Pacific Forum, which creates favorable conditions for economically developed states to assist (Fraser, 2019). Such coalitions refer to territorial, ideological, and cultural similarities, positively affect international relationships, and facilitate their cooperation, especially during natural disasters. International organizations do not create the environment for independent nations to lose their legal abilities but protect their values and borders.

Security Measures

Due to the recent events that impacted the entire world in terms of national security measures, the frameworks for providing international aid need to be changed. According to the UNDAC guide, flooding events could provoke additional security threats like technical errors, population displacement, and weak social safety mechanisms (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 2018). Different flood events worldwide have already proved the unpredictability of property damage and lost income. In addition, infections and dangerous particles are hard to control, and the number of threats grows until the stabilization of the situation is. The task of the government and specific organizations is not only to improve the damage but also to think about how to help individuals deal with financial, emotional, and physiological damage.

For example, the pandemic has impacted the management of international disasters due to the increased risk of infections. This change is particularly critical in developing countries with small populations, limited resources, and poor medical services. Currently, Tonga is the country with only one registered case of COVID-19 (Mogul & Cheung, 2022). The government continues implementing multiple measures when it comes to managing the disease. There are restrictions on how foreigners can enter the territory in a pandemic situation. Thus, the Australian and New Zealand ships and aircraft were operated by personnel that had been vaccinated and tested for COVID-19. The contact between the staff and Tonga locals is limited or non-existent as a measure to provide aid and limit face-to-face cooperation. For example, the UN has decided to provide help without physically deploying volunteers to limit the spread of the infection.

The measures that foreign states and organizations take to minimize the risk of infections exemplify the sensitive and appropriate approach to the national factors that impact Tonga on multiple levels. Since the current statistics only show one case of COVID-19, and the current disaster does not allow the authorities to deal with a pandemic alongside the other challenges, security remains a primary focus.

Another challenge is the lack of the proper national entities that would either assist the international ones or manage the cooperation between the multiple organizations. Security issues impact the financial aspect of international aid provision (Fakhruddin, Reinen-Hamill, and Robertson 2019). While corruption is not mentioned as a factor, the lack of organizations and measures to ensure that financial aid is properly managed creates an unsafe environment from an economic standpoint. Since the limitations that have been implemented because of the pandemic imply the lack of physical assistance, financial aid is a primary source of help for Tonga. Effective management of such resources is vital, and the lack of proper guidelines may be adverse to the security aspect of international disaster operations aimed at minimizing the damage and additional risks.

International aid provision does not imply the state’s lack of participation in disaster management. Instead, the assistance is much more effective and safer when existing national organizations work in a coalition with foreign entities to provide information, ensure safe financial operations, and make a collective effort towards damage minimization. The aspect of safety was even more critical because of the lack of proper communication as a result of the initial eruption. Thus, local authorities, while ensuring security from COVID-19 through relevant limitations, can improve in regards to securing the financial aid that is vital because of the inability to provide physical resources via transportation.

Conclusion

The recent disasters that had a major negative impact on Tonga were partially addressed through international aid organizations. Cooperation with the governments of certain countries turned out to be a serious challenge because of the pandemic restrictions and obligations. The quality of help and access to Tonga as a nation that required help was not perfect, but following international laws and regulations allowed us to achieve some desired outcomes. International help became possible and facilitated by close relationships with other, more economically developed countries in the South Pacific, like New Zealand and Australia. This assistance was adequate in terms of meeting the deadlines and considering the sovereignty and security-wise guidelines of Tonga. The authorities allowed foreign aircraft and ships to be deployed on their territories with limited contact due to the major risk of the COVID-19 virus spreading within the region. As a result, the efforts were successful in mitigating some of the damage caused by the natural disaster and adequate to maintain security and order. More effort could be centered around securing financial help, yet the overall environment of disaster management has proven to be proficient.

Reference List

Fakhruddin, B. S. H. M., Reinen-Hamill, R. and Robertson, R. (2019) ‘Extent and evaluation of vulnerability for disaster risk reduction of urban nuku’alofa, Tonga’, Progress in Disaster Science, 2, pp. 1-8.

Fraser, M. (2019) ‘Discussants’, The Emerging Pacific Community, pp. 235–237.

Menon, P. and Needham, K. (2022) ‘Distress signal prompts UN concern after Tonga volcanic eruption’, Reuters. Web.

Mogul, R. and Cheung, E. (2022) ‘Tonga Faces ‘unprecedented disaster’ as New Zealand warns of further eruptions’, CNN. Web.

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2018) United Nations disaster assessment and coordination. Web.

‘World rushes aid to tsunami-hit Tonga amid water, food shortage’ (2022) Al Jazeera. Web.

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