100,000 people in six Solomon Islands provinces affected by flooding after two weeks of torrential rain
The unrelenting rainfall has focused on food security for the stricken families as a priority, according to the latest Radio New Zealand news bulletin.
The bulletin went on to say (quote)
“The director of the National Disaster Management Office, Loti Yates, said they were still to get a clear picture of the situation, and have yet to hear from Temotu and Rennell and Bellona provinces.
“Mr Yates said about 300 to 400 houses are thought to have been destroyed and he said many of these people will be sheltering with relatives, or using emergency shelter kits provided by the Red Cross.
“He said the critical issue was the destruction of food gardens and what it means for food security.
"Our communities here, a lot of them use river banks where it is usually very fertile to plant food. Most of our people do their stuff in the valley areas, where, when there is inundation, heavy rain, they are easily under water."
“Loti Yates said there were also concerns about water supply, hygiene and sanitation.
“Mr Yates said the government was already speaking with donor partners about possible assistance.
Meanwhile in a separate Radio New Zealand news report it was mentioned that hundreds of Red Cross volunteers throughout the region have been mobilised over the past fortnight to deal with the bad weather pummelling several Pacific islands.
“Local arms of the charity in Solomon Islands, Fiji, the Marshall Islands and Kiribati have been busy helping with first aid, evacuations and psycho-social support in the face of flooding, storm surges and damage to homes.”
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Yours sincerely
Frank Short
