The director of Tonga's National Emergency Office says the catcegory five cyclone that tore through the Ha'apai group at the weekend destroyed almost all the food crops.
About half of the eight-thousand strong population are being housed temporarily in tents or at evacuation centres following Cyclone Ian, which ripped buildings from their foundations and flattened plantations.
Leveni Aho says Tonga's agriculture department has a plan in place for restoring food supplies but people will need imported food for some time.
"The replanting and that will take about four months to harvest at the earliest. Probably for the next six months there will be a gap in terms of food supplies and so the community will be looking seriously at trying to bridge those gaps."
Leveni Aho says people are advised to dig up their root crops and eat them before they go rotten.
