Items donated include tarpaulins, dignity kits for women, kitchen sets, hygiene sets, jerry cans for restoring safe drinking water, blankets and clothes.

Fiji Red Cross Society aided 93 households during their Tropical Cyclone Gita relief operation at Southern Lau.

The society donated relief assis­tance worth $78,000 to 396 people in the islands of Ono-i-Lau and Vatoa.

Disaster officer Itu Josaia said the scale of the disaster was now clearer as they have conducted an assessment at villages in Ono-i-Lau and Vatoa.

“There was not much damage on the ground as the people of South­ern Lau were prepared for the cy­clone,” Mr Josaia said.

“Their preparedness for TC Gita should be a lesson to all Fijians. Rebuilding is something you can do but bringing back a life is some­thing you cannot do.

Ono-i-Lau

“Four houses were completely damaged while 14 houses were par­tially damaged on Ono-i-Lau,” Mr Josaia said.

“From the assessment on the ground there are 18 houses dam­aged.

Vatoa

“No homes were damaged by the cyclone on Vatoa Island,” Mr Josaia said.

“We donated non-food items as this would be useful to people whose homes were damaged.

“Items that were donated were tar­paulins, dignity kits which women may need after a disaster, kitchen sets, hygiene sets, jerry cans for storing safe drinking water, blan­kets and clothes packs.”

He said the society also donated shelter tool kits to assist 39 house­holds to rebuild their homes.

“It has tools which can help fami­lies rebuild their house,” he said.

“Like Government’s help for home initiative, we donate shelter tool kits to families whose homes were destroyed during the relief opera­tion.

“The shelter tool kits have neces­sities items – nails, hammer and other tools one might need to build back a home.”

He said the assessment report will be presented to the director general, Filipe Nainoca, and then forwarded to the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO).

“The assessment report will por­tray a picture of what other form of assistance the Southern Lau group needs,” he said.

“Many children get traumatised from their experiences during a natural disaster and they will need psychological assistance.

“If the Ministry of health an­nounces that there is a disease outbreak in Southern Lau, which is usually the case after a disas­ter then we will carry out a health awareness programme in these vil­lages.”

Edited by Naisa Koroi