Global perspective Human stories

Fiji Government appeals for assistance to rebuild after cyclone – UN

Fiji Government appeals for assistance to rebuild after cyclone – UN

The Government of Fiji has appealed for international assistance to help tackle the destruction left in the wake of tropical Cyclone Ami, according to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The Government of Fiji has appealed for international assistance to help tackle the destruction left in the wake of tropical Cyclone Ami, according to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The deadly cyclone, which hit the island nation on 14 January, has left many villages flooded or without electricity, and caused untold damage to infrastructure, including roads, bridges and telecommunications, OCHA reports. The confirmed death toll is 19, and two people are still missing.

Parts of the second-largest island, Vanua Levu, are still without electricity and much of the infrastructure has been damaged, OCHA says. The flooding rendered the water supply and sanitation in Labasa Town inoperable. Villages in the path of the cyclone in eastern Vanua Levu sustained damage, mainly due to high winds and flying debris. Subsistence agriculture was affected, as was the cane growing sector, seriously reducing the potential of the June sugar crop harvest. This will severely impact all those who depend on Fiji’s main cash crop.

The immediate assistance needed for affected communities includes shelter, water supply and food. Over the long-term, the government has identified the rehabilitation of rural housing, schools, health centres and infrastructures as a national priority, OCHA says.