Tongan Prime Minister thanks Australia for tsunami support
Channel: Royal Australian Navy
Date: 2022-03-28

Australian Defence Force personnel along with other Pacific family nations began supporting the Tongan Government shortly after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano eruption and subsequent tsunami on 15 January 2022.

Royal Australian Air Force aircraft were flying over Tonga to assess damage soon after the tsunami and began flying in disaster assistance stores shortly after that. 

Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Canberra arrived in Tongan waters on 01 March 2022 to drop off more disaster assistance stores, while embarked Australian Army and Republic of Fiji Military Forces personnel soon got to work helping clean up Atata and various other islands. HMAS Adelaide was further supported by HMAS Supply and, later, replaced by HMAS Canberra in Tonga. 

Australian Defence Force personnel deployed on Operation Tonga Assist 2022 as part of the whole-of-Australian Government's support to the Government of Tonga.