When Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted, a massive mushroom cloud of ash and debris spewed out across the islands of Tonga, and thick layer of ash still covers the land, preventing residents from returning to their sustainable lifestyle of farming.

Members of the Tongan community on Oahu have partnered with the Tongan Consulate in Honolulu and other community organizations to host a donation drive that will be held Monday at the Blaisdell Center to assist residents of Tonga, whose lives continue to be hurt by the residual effects of the Jan. 15 volcanic eruption and tsunami, and now COVID-19.

Organizer Milikaleakona Tonga Hopoi contacted the two main traditional churches of Tonga to see what the people there need. Unlike worldwide religious organizations, they “rely on small families like us,” she said.

Much of the relief aid, including water and food, has been coming from Australia and New Zealand, so this group has prioritized other kinds of donations.

Hopoi, an Oahu resident, said the president of the Church of Tonga told her by email the community could use farm tools to help remove the ash such as shovels, wheelbarrows, rakes and brooms, as well as chainsaws and tarps to clear the debris.

“The items are more directed to their recovery,” she said.

The group has reserved two 40-foot shipping containers from Matson to collect and ship the items, which will go out the first week of March.

The two churches in Tonga — Siasi ’o Tonga Hou Eiki (Church of Tonga) and Siasi `o Tonga Tauataina (Free Church of Tonga), will distribute the items to the most vulnerable villages and churches on Tongatapu, the main island, and Haapai, a smaller island.

The churches have been given approval to have customs duties waived, Hopoi said.

Hopoi said the ash creates a thick layer atop the soil that prevents things from growing. “It should be harvesting season, but everything is wiped out,” she said. “If we don’t save it now, the ground is going to be dead.”

“What we’re looking at is salvaging our land,” she said. “Many of us grow our own crops. Whatever we’re growing is what we use to sustain our families, our communities and our church.”

She said the tiny nation of 105,000 people “doesn’t want to rely on imports. Taro, luau leaves and breadfruit are their main source of sustenance,” she said.

Those interested in contributing toward higher priced items such as chainsaws can make monetary donations by going to the GoFundMe account, “Help Tonga Recovery Fund.”

They are also asking for water filtration systems, such as the Brita Water Filter Pitchers, and some sort of topical cream to alleviate the itching the ash is causing to the skin. The ash blows up as trucks drive by in the faces of children as they walk to and from school, Hopoi said.

The Ewa Beach Lions Club, Aloha United Way, Ku Kiai Kahuku, Elite Trucking Services, Tofi’s Coffee & Grinds and Dudoit Enterprises are among those assisting the effort with people power to onload and offload, as well as providing storage for the containers before shipping.

Tonga, previously COVID-19-free, has had community spread for the first time since two dockworkers tested positive a week before last, and the virus has spread quickly, the Associated Press reported on Feb. 10. The country’s health minister said on Feb. 10 that the number of active cases had doubled for a second day in a row to 64.

Since the country has gone into lockdown, Hopoi said the group is mindful Tonga is “still contactless aid,” so the group is wiping down the items with disinfectant before shipping.

HELP TONGA

The Tonga Relief Effort Donation Drive will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at Blaisdell Center, collecting items in four different tiers, with Tier 1 being the highest priority.

>> Tier 1: Agricultural tools and equipment.

>> Tier 2: Water filtration systems and personal protective equipment.

>> Tier 3: Nonperishable items.

>> Tier 4: Hygiene and wash kits.

For further information, email M.Tonga.Hopoi@gmail.com.