Timoci Vula
A villager of Kia Island stand amid the ruins of her home. Picture: JOVESA NAISUA
The Fijian Government has received roofing iron metal sheets worth more than $20,000 that will go towards rebuilding homes in the Northern Division that were devastated by Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa.
Minister for Education Rosy Akbar received the donation of 500 x 12ft roofing iron metal sheets worth $17,400 from the Fiji Aid Melbourne, and 100 x 12ft roofing iron metal sheets worth $3480 from ABS Fiji.
Ms Akbar is in the Northern Division to review the status of the 68 schools being used as evacuation centres and to gauge the reality of school opening time frames for 2021.
She’s an angel . Erin Durga at Pat Mertens’ bed side. Picture: GoFundMe
Patrick Mertens needed a kidney, and, feeling desperate, his daughter, Kayla, posted a request on Facebook in January.
Patrick, 64, a school custodian, hadn’t bothered asking his coworkers at Kimball Elementary School, as he searched for a donor.
He didn’t want to inconvenience any of the teachers at the school, and he thought they had already done enough for him by setting up a fundraiser to support his dialysis.
But when Erin Durga, a thirdgrade teacher at the school, saw the Facebook post, she knew she wanted to help. So she reached out and after some tests learned that she was a match.
26 December, 2020, 4:49 pm
Fiji Red Cross Society youth/COVID-19 co-ordinator Niumai Kavou while briefing the media. Picture: VISHAAL KUMAR
The Fiji Red Cross Society (FRCS) has assisted a total of 107 communities as of Thursday this week that had been affected by Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa.
This was revealed by FRCS youth/COVID-19 co-ordinator Niumai Kavou at a media briefi ng on Thursday.
Ms Kavou highlighted that the FRCS had provided assistance to 537 households in the Northern, 16 in the Western and 60 communities in the Eastern divisions. She added a total of 1882 response kits had been distributed to these affected communities.
“Our emergency operation centres, most of them in the Western Division have closed because there were minimal damage and only the Lautoka branch is active,” Ms Kavou said.
Initial assessments confirm more than 300 houses damaged after TC Yasa
Initial assessments confirm more than 300 houses damaged after TC Yasa
Kia Island, Macuata.[Image: Keira Rose]
Preliminary impact damage assessments from the divisions have identified damage sustained to more than 300 houses in the Northern and Eastern Divisions after Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa.
The teams from the divisions were deployed to affected communities and villages last week following the aftermath of TC Yasa.
Government officials from Viti Levu have also been deployed as part of the 120 personnel deployment to Vanua Levu to assist in conducting the assessments in the North.
The team is in Vanua Levu and will begin with assessments and distribution of emergency food packs and non-food items today.
Yasawa-I-Rara’s main source of food on land destroyed
Yasawa-I-Rara’s main source of food on land destroyed
Yasawa. [Image: Supplied]
Yasawa-I-Rara Villager, Kitione Tuni says their plantations that was their main source of food on land has been destroyed.
Tuni says they are now left with no crops and vegetables after they were all uprooted by destructive winds and storm surges brought about by Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa.
He says they are now surviving on partially-damaged and uprooted crops and vegetables, but this would rot in two to three days.
Tuni says the villagers will bake these crops to preserve it, but this can only last for a week.