As many as 400 families had their homes severely damaged or destroyed in a powerful storm which struck Tonga, but officials are relieved the death toll hasn't risen beyond one.
Director of Emergencies Leveni Aho said it was "almost unbelievable" there weren't more fatalities in the devastation caused by Cyclone Ian, which pummeled the South Pacific archipelago with gusts up to 287km/h on Saturday.
Worst hit was the Ha'apai island group, home to 8000 people. Authorities said one elderly woman on Lifuka Island was killed. Mr Aho said several people suffered moderate injuries but none were life-threatening.
Mr Aho said the cyclone's destructive path was unusually narrow and did not create major flooding, which helped limit the damage. He said relief supplies had begun arriving but he remained concerned that fresh water supplies were dwindling, in part because many people rely on roof rainwater catchment systems that were destroyed in the storm.
He said that one of the two main cellphone operators restored service yesterday. Residents remained without power, he said, but he hoped power would be restored to some places in several days.
