NEWS RELEASE
9 October 2009
Red Cross Aid Worker And Water Maker Bound for Tonga

New Zealand Red Cross aid worker Carl Burr is flying to Tonga tomorrow to help deliver clean drinking water to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami that struck the Pacific last week.

Carl, a water and sanitation engineer, along with New Zealand Red Cross’ emergency desalination unit are bound for the remote island of Niuatoputapu which has been hit hard by the disaster. Aucklander Carl will not arrive in Niuatoputapu until Tuesday 13 October, after flying in to Nuku’alofa he will then travel for 36 hours by boat to reach the remote island.

New Zealand Red Cross’ emergency water maker consists of a salt water pump, a desalination unit and a portable diesel generator. It has the capacity to provide 3,000 litres of clean drinking water per day for up to 900 people and uses a filtration system to turn salt water into safe drinking water.

The deployment to Tonga is the first time the water maker has been used in the field since the unit was designed and created early last year.

The earthquake and tsunami caused devastation and destruction across the Pacific last week. In Tonga nine people were killed and 470 people were left in need of shelter, food and water.

A lack of clean drinking water has been a major concern in Tonga as existing wells have been soiled with seawater and a number of rain tanks have been destroyed.

Immediately after the earthquake and tsunami struck, New Zealand Red Cross sent a range of emergency supplies and relief items to Tonga including kitchen sets, tents and water containers which have been distributed by the Tonga Red Cross Society.

New Zealand Red Cross is collecting funds to help with relief and recovery efforts in Tonga although an appeal has not been launched. The best way to donate to Tonga is by making a secure online donation at www.redcross.org.nz.

New Zealand Red Cross guarantees that 100 percent of all donations will go directly to the Tonga Red Cross Society.

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