Commissioner Northern Urges People To Help Clear Debris  

Commissioner Northern Uraia Rainima is urging the people of Vanua Levu whose area have been affected by Cyclone Yasa to help in the cleaning up.

This is to make it easier for the Ministry of Health officials to spray the area.

Mr Rainima said the Ministry would not be able to spray areas where there were piles of debris still lying around.

Republic of Fiji Military Forces personnel and forestry officers have been deployed to Kia Island to help with the cleaning of the community.

He added that provincial offices had been going out to the rural communities encouraging people to clean up.

Education

Mr Rainima said some schools that were damaged by Cyclone Yasa would be handed over to the Ministry of Education today.

He said while they continued to work despite the adverse conditions to provide quick fixes for the damaged schools, they were adamant that school would start as scheduled.

Tents have been tested and are durable and could withstand the wet conditions.

Food Security

Vegetation and farms have been severely affected by Cyclone Yasa.

A cluster meeting towards food security as a first step was held with the Minister for Agriculture on Friday at the Labasa Chamber of Commerce.

Mr Rainima said the cluster group was trying to analyse the report they had gathered from the detailed assessment they carried out in the Northern Division.

“They have yet to send in their report to the North Operations Command Centre which will be tabled in the emergency council meeting and from there they will make recommendations to the cabinet and to the parliament.

“Saying that, we cannot really say anything now as we have to wait for the outcome of that report and then the government will decide on the next step that we take, on whether to supply rations to every individual home or whatever, but it will be decided through those council meetings.

“Recommendations will be made from the cluster group through to the emergency council.”

Mr Rainima said that the Ministry of Agriculture had announced the form of assistance that they were giving out to the farmers.

“Apart from seedlings and crop cuttings, there is also some help that the Ministry of Agriculture is giving in terms of mechanisation of the farms, but they have to go through the Ministry of Agriculture,” he said.

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