TC Harold

Cyclone Harold last week caused extensive damage on Fiji's remote southern islands.

Defence minister Ron Mark said the plane will deliver hygiene kits, shelter, tool kits, tarpaulins, satellite phones and portable generators.

Foreign affairs minister Winston Peters said the New Zealand government will consider further requests for assistance.

The plane will return with New Zealanders who have been stranded in Fiji by the Covid-19 lockdown in Suva.

Communities, organisations or individuals are advised to fill out the form at the NDMO reception should they wish to make any fundraising towards TC Harold victims or before carrying out donations.

The form should only be filled out at the NDMO and should have the name of the person doing the donation, the type contribution or donation and the name of the beneficiary or the person receiving the donation.

The purpose of the form is to ensure proper records of donations and distributions during recovery of TC Harold.

She made the statement following public criticisms about the response time from the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) to communities affected by Cyclone Harold.

Mrs Garaebiti, who is also the Director General of the Ministry of Climate Change, says all relief items must be cleaned, disinfected in Port Vila, to minimise the risk of spreading the deadly Coronavirus/COVID-19 before distribution of the items to the affected areas.

According to the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) one person was killed and 26 others injured by the category four cyclone which also destroyed more than 2000 homes.

The NDMO director Vasiti Soko said TC Harold forced hundreds of families to flee their homes with over 1500 people still sheltering in evacuation centres across Fiji's central, eastern and western divisions.

Ms Soko said relief teams were distributing food, shelter kits and medical supplies while continuing their disaster assessments in the remote islands.

As part of $US2.5 million relief package, an Australian Air Force plane this week brought items including hygiene, shelter and kitchen kits to Port Vila.

Australia's High Commissioner to Vanuatu, Sarah de Zoeten, said the relief package will be used by the Vanuatu government to support NGO responses on the ground.

She said this could include setting up health centres.

The Vanuatu Daily Post reports Australia complied with strict Covid-19 protocols when delivering its aid.

A Casa air force plane carried a consignment of kits for those made homeless by last week's category five storm which ravaged the central islands of Pentecost, Espiritu Santo and Ambae.

According to the Vanuatu Red Cross, most people in the disaster zone have lost their homes.

The kits were made up of tents, basic kitchen items which had been held in stock by the Red Cross in Noumea as part of the emergency support provided by France, Australia and New Zealand.

The world body announced Monday $2.5 million from its emergency response fund will be spent to get lifesaving aid to thousands of people in Vanuatu affected by Tropical Cyclone Harold. 

U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said in a written statement the cyclone “has wreaked havoc in Vanuatu, destroying homes, schools, roads and crops.”

The statement said the funds will enable its agencies to get safe drinking water, food, shelter and health care “where they are most needed.” 

The Ministry of Education and Training released the detail after their assessment from the cyclone affected areas.

The Ministry’s Director General, Bergsman Iati said they are assessing the impact on these affected kindergartens, primary schools, colleges and vocational institutions via satellite before deploying officers on ground.

DG Iati said the ministry is also assessing the welfare of teachers.

They are helping the three Pacific countries battered by Cyclone Harold last week, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Fiji.

But the executive director of the Council of International Development, Josie Pagani, said that during the lockdown the charities aren't able to fundraise and the public can't donate.

She said the international aid charities typically get about two thirds of their revenue from public donations.

Cyclone Harold, the worst to hit Vanuatu since deadly Cyclone Pam in 2015, has wrecked around 70 percent of the buildings in Luganville, and much of the vegetation.

Over 1700 people remained in evacuation centres in Fiji today following the severe tropical cyclone.

The storm passed through the country last Tuesday and Wednesday as a category four system.

Most evacuees are in 29 shelters in the smaller islands of the Eastern Division where, last night, 1067 people remained.

Central and Western Divisions held 384 and 252 displaced people respectively between 32 shelters.

The Northern Division had been given the all-clear but remained under Covid-19 restrictions.