In Wake of Volcanic Eruption in Tonga, IVLP ExchangeAlumni Mobilizes Support for Island Nation
As a small island nation tucked away in the South Pacific, Tonga was hit hard when the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupted in January. In the wake of the eruption and ensuing tsunami, ExchangeAlumni Anthony Blake sprung into action.
Anthony, who completed his International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in 2010, is the co-founder of LifeFlight Fiji, an organization that provides a range of medical emergency services, training and disaster response capacity to communities in Fiji. Since its founding in 2017, the organization has expanded its support to surrounding communities – including countries in the South Pacific, like Tonga. By offering aid and community emergency services to these communities, LifeFlight Fiji hopes to strengthen their response preparedness and resilience.
As Tonga faces a long road to recovery, Anthony has teamed up with his LifeFlight Fiji team to carry out a campaign to provide food and aid to the country. To date, his team has delivered clean drinking water and food items to the country, such as canned food products and baby formula, and provided tarpaulins and shelter kits. Anthony hopes that these efforts will address the lack of access to basic amenities, including safe water and food sources, many have faced in the immediate aftermath of the volcanic eruption.
Anthony was an exchange participant on the Emergency and Disaster Management IVLP program in 2010. During his exchange, he traveled to the United States to focus on crisis management, with a focus around preventing and responding to disasters.
While the situation in Tonga steadily improves with the help of volunteers and organizations, there is still work to be done. Anthony and his team’s LifeFlight Fiji are planning to continue to raise funding and charter flights to aid Tonga and provide food supplies, address the lack of internet connectivity and damage caused to internet lines, and help better equip the country to be prepared for future disasters.