Fijians urged to immediately bury those who died in cyclone

Local media are reporting new stories of devastation regularly: the government-owned Fiji Broadcasting Corporation said only eight of 161 houses remained standing in one province in the centre of Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu.

One Fijian family was able to shelter others from their village in their Habitat for Humanity-built home during Cyclone Winston – as it was built to withstand the force of tropical storms. Another four individuals are recorded as lost, for example, baby on Koro Island, where at least 10 people have perished.

Today, the Herald visited Lovo Sangham School north of Nadi.

They will work alongside Fijian soldiers clearing debris and repairing buildings.

“She is expected to touch base close by March 1”, Minister Payne said. It should also, obviously, draw a generous response from New Zealand, regardless of this country’s recent distance from Fiji’s authoritarian leadership. The government has announced compensation for those affected by the cyclone from the country’s biggest superannuation fund.

New Zealand air force C-130s were already delivering relief supplies and equipment in Fiji, and a P3 Orion continued to carry out regular reconnaissance flights.

He said people who do bury their dead are being asked to recall as many details as they can, such as the time of death and the events that preceded it.

BSP Country Manager Kevin McCarthy made the announcement yesterday.

Getting emergency supplies to the group’s far-flung islands and remote communities has been the Fiji government’s top priority.

“This will also support a communication link back to family throughout the Pacific, in New Zealand and Australia, which will hopefully alleviate anxiety for many who still don’t know whether their family members are safe”.

In addition, there has been financial support from Canberra, Wellington, India, China, the United States, Japan, Nauru and the Asian Development Bank.

More than 120,000 children were in communities that bore the brunt of the category 5 storm that barrelled through Fiji on Saturday night, ripping homes apart, destroying schools and flooding low lying communities.

Food and water supplies are a growing concern even in areas such as the capital of Suva that did not suffer as much damage as the more remote regions.