Well, there was a Chinese, Wang, who brought in two huge Sikorsky Soviet helicopters just after the Soviet breakup, and there was something there to with hiding them out in lieu of payment, but they are long gone. The Niua plantations largely will be intact so food will be no problem, just the emergency supplies for any hurt.
You bring up a good point, Sailor, in that there is no real good way to handle emergencies in a hurry. If you live on one of the off lying islands, you make do, though there are a lot of small boats around that will get you to the main islands, and there, really ill people are often taken on to New Zealand or Australia. No Medivac here!
Meanwhile, it is so derned nice out, hard to imagine suffering going on at a time like this.
Thanks guys for the good words.
P.S. Just read your post, Woodboats, and that is indeed sad. I doubt if there are any better people at responding quickly to emergencies wrought on others than the good Kiwis. Maybe you understand what being isolated means, because you certainly are that.
Radio says (yes radio talks!) that Tongan officials are on their way to Samoa to see the needs, meanwhile the Naval vessel is indeed on the way some where, probably the Niuas.