Almost four days after a tsunami struck the Solomon Islands’ Western Provinces, the country’s Red Cross society continues to provide assistance to people affected by the disaster.
Emergency funds and disaster management support have also been mobilized by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Latest assessments show that there is a heightened risk of diarrhea emerging in some of the camps, while there are also concerns that a shortage of safe drinking water could lead to an outbreak of other waterborne illnesses.
Volunteers from the Solomon Islands Red Cross (SIRC) are involved in carrying out assessments in remote areas, even by canoe if necessary, while the National Society is also distributing relief items, including sheets and tarpaulins, to affected people. According to the SIRC, water containers and purification systems, as well as medical supplies and cooking sets are still needed.
The International Federation says recent evaluations show that at least 15,000 people have been affected by the tsunami, which was triggered by an undersea earthquake and aftershocks in the South Pacific on 2 April. However, reliable information on the scale of the damage is still not available for all areas, due to the remote and scattered nature of the islands and a lack of communications.
“They’re still feeling aftershocks and a lot of people refuse to go home because they’re too scared, which makes it hard to get an precise count of who’s missing or homeless,” said Douglas Clark, a disaster management delegate for the International Federation, who is in the Solomon Islands. “It could take several more days before we have a truly clear picture of the situation,” he added.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched a preliminary emergency appeal for 1.1 million Swiss francs ($819,000 USD/ euro615,000) to assist the SIRC in responding to the disaster. The organization has also released 65,000 Swiss francs ($53,000/euro40,000) from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to support the SIRC’s urgent activities.
In addition, the International Federation has mobilized a rapid intervention team made up of 10 specialists, with the support of the Red Cross Societies of Australia, France, New Zealand and Tonga, to provide disaster management assistance to the SIRC. Several National Societies from the region, and around the world, have also pledged financial and material support to help with the operation.
“This is a testing time for our staff and volunteers,” said Charles Kelly, the secretary general of the SIRC. “They are doing very well on the front line of this disaster, and we thank our sister National Societies in the Pacific, and around the globe, for their support.”