Tonga: Disaster management reference handbook (2026)

This Disaster Management Reference Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of Tonga’s disaster risk environment, institutional structures, and operational mechanisms. It addresses the island country’s capacities for state-led response, coordination of national stakeholders, and integration of external support when needed. The purpose of this publication is to inform stakeholders that may work in support of or alongside Tongan responders in disaster response or preparedness, including exercises.

As a small-island country, Tonga is exposed to impacts from earthquakes, flooding, tropical cyclones, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and other hazards. The country was heavily impacted by three major tropical cyclones in the past 12 years in addition to damage from the 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai (HTHH) volcanic eruption, ashfall, and tsunami. The succession of major disasters took a significant toll on people’s livelihoods and the country’s economic trajectory. Vulnerability to the society-wide impacts of various types of disasters has been a driver for Tongan authorities to develop an all-hazards approach to disaster management (DM) that focuses on the use of emergency support functions to organize responses.