Tonga faces a $125 million damage bill, a month after the volcano and tsunami destroyed a Pacific island

The World Bank estimated that the bill for damages from a volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami that devastated much of Tonga a month ago would be more than $125 million.

Key points: Tonga’s tourism and agricultural sectors were hardest hit by the disaster, with 1,525 people displaced from the Tongatapu and Hapai groups, and new photos from the Australian Defense Force show the extent of the damage.

The staggering cost of recovery, equivalent to nearly 20 per cent of Tonga’s gross domestic product, comes as new images from the Australian Defense Force (ADF) show individuals wading through rubble strewn across parts of Atata Island.

Hundreds of Australian soldiers were assisting the Pacific Kingdom as part of Operation Tonga 2022.

The World Bank’s impact assessment report found that 85 percent of the country’s population was affected by the unprecedented volcanic eruption that enveloped the archipelago with centimeters of volcanic ash and created waves powerful enough to level the islands.

The country’s international underwater fiber optic cable is still out of action and communications within Tonga remain strained, after an eruption cut communication in two places.

About 300 homes lost and more than 1,500 people displaced (Supplied: Australian Defense Force, Robert Whitmore)

The report found that while the volcanic ash fall and tsunami caused widespread devastation, the impact of each varies by sector, World Bank communications officer Natalie Lato told ABC’s Pacific Beat.

“For example, in the agriculture sector, the volcanic impact was greater than that of the tsunami,” said Ms. Lato.

“The damage attributed to the volcanic impact was 80 percent, while the damage attributed to the tsunami was 20 percent.”

World Bank report findings will help guide recovery efforts in Tonga (Resource: Australian Defense Force, Jake Badior)

Eighty-five percent of farm families across the country were affected, and crops, livestock and fisheries bore the brunt of the disaster.

However, the tsunami caused the most damage to the tourism sector, destroying infrastructure such as resorts, public spaces and natural assets such as waterfronts.

The World Bank report said about 600 buildings across Tonga were damaged or destroyed by the tsunami.

Three hundred of these were homes, and it is estimated that 1,525 people were displaced from the Tongatapu and Ha’apai Islands groups.

Tsunami destroyed much of Atata Island (Supplied: Australia Defense Force, Christopher Zumlansky)

The estimated damage bill does not include “significant losses” associated with economic loss to tourism, agriculture and infrastructure activities as a result of disaster recovery.

Lato said it was unclear how long recovery would take.

“The Tonga community has been very resilient in clearing the rubble, making their home safe, and trying to get back to life as normally as possible, as quickly as possible,” said Ms Lato.

Australian Army Chinook helicopter delivers equipment to Atata Island (Supplied: Australia Defense Force, Robert Whitmore)

The World Bank Post-Disaster Damage Assessment was conducted to help the Government of Tonga and its partners direct support for recovery, reconstruction, and policy development.

Australia is one of several countries across the region providing aid to Tonga.

“So far we’ve delivered 220 tons of relief supplies, and they’re mainly coming by air,” ADF Lieutenant General Greg Pelton told ABC.

“We have now started proper clean-up operations on a number of islands.”

Australian Defense personnel conduct clean-up operations in Tonga as part of Operation Tonga Assistance (Supplied: Australia Defense Force, David Cox)

Last week, China committed more than 100 trucks and excavators to help speed up the recovery.

“For years, China has provided assistance that meets the development needs of Pacific island countries including Tonga in line with the principle of sincerity, real results, friendship and good faith,” said Wang Wenbin, a Chinese foreign affairs spokesman.

The Australian Defense Force operates across a number of islands (Supplied: Australia Defense Force, Christopher Zumlansky)

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