BY AGNES MENANOPO
THE ongoing bad weather has caused destructions and damages to the livelihoods, and infrastructure sectors at large.
A huge number of food gardens within the Guadalcanal Plains were either destroyed or covered by flood waters, according to reports obtained from the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) on Monday.
“Fruit trees and gardens in Honiara were destroyed by strong wind and flooding along Burns Creek, Lunga and Sun Valley areas.
“Food gardens in communities of Malaita, Western, Makira, Central and Isabel provinces floods, strong winds and landslides,” the report states.
Most communities that were heavily implicated by the bad weather have taken the initiative to protect themselves undertaking appropriate actions to minimize casualties, the report says.
“Communities around Guadalcanal Plains have taken the initiative to evacuate to safe areas during the height of the flooding caused by the heavy rains, assisted by Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil Limited (GPPOL) and the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF).
“Temporary satellite camps have been established by those evacuees on Guadalcanal Plains and surrounding communities affected.
“All Provincial Emergency Operation Centres have been activated on standby. Honiara, Guadalcanal and Malaita have been scaled up to full on activation to provide for coordinating the management of responses operations.”
National Government and Stakeholders responses and gaps includes National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) is now on full activation to support coordinate the management of responses and support to provinces and sectors.
The report says RSIPF has since the beginning of the 4/18 bad weather activated their Police Operations Centre (POC) for coordination of its responses to supporting emergency needs such as evacuations, search and rescue activities.
“Oxfam International and Solomon Islands Red Cross (SIRC) are providing support and personnel to support at NEOC functional areas and World Vision is supporting Honiara City Council (HCC) response with logistics.
“The caretaker executive Government was briefed on current status of the country related to the bad weather since 2nd January 2019 with positive support from the Government for any resourcing needs required.”
Bad weather conditions will continue to affect Solomon Islands, due to the presence of Tropical Cyclone Penny in the Coral Seas close to the Solomon Islands Territory, the report says.
In parts of Guadalcanal Plain, villages have been flooded with water due to heavy rain.
Gardens have been swiped by river floods leaving nothing left for the people.
Speaking to one of the vendors at the central market from Tasiboko in North East Guadalcanal, Elizabeth Lasu said that as of next week there would be no food crops to eat likewise bring down to the market to sell.
“For most of us, these are the last goods for us to sell,” a devastated Ms Lasu said.
“Maybe as of next week we will be selling only coconuts, leaves for baking and flowers,” she said.
Lise Bosa, one of the vendors said that they always experience the same situation whenever there is a natural disaster, which poses great challenge for all people to start all over again getting things to be normal.
“Most of us, we depend on selling our crops to earn money for all our needs such as school fees and other basic family needs,” said Ms Bosa.
Ms Bosa said that people will be finding it real tough to earn money to meet their needs especially when a disaster happens in the beginning of the year.
“We would like to call on our good leaders of Guadalcanal to come down and help us. We are now in need of their help.”
Meanwhile, following the recent heavy rain and flood, the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) is now acting upon the situation in delivering supplies to disaster-stricken areas.