Tsunami: Aid urgently needed
2007-04-04 10:29
Gizo - Aid agencies and officials appealed on Wednesday for urgent supplies of water, shelter and medicine for isolated towns and villages devastated by the Solomon Islands tsunami.
The call came after thousands of people slept outdoors on high ground for a second night after Monday's disaster, with assistance starting to trickle out to victims.
Aircraft and ships loaded with food, water, tents and other emergency supplies headed for the remote islands east of Australia where at least 30 people were killed and 5 400 made homeless.
Tim O'Connor, spokesperson for charity organisation Caritas Australia, warned the situation could quickly become critical.
"When food starts to dry up and drinking water is exhausted or begins to be contaminated in two or three days, then we could start seeing real problems," O'Connor said.
Local volunteers in the makeshift refugee camps around the town of Gizo said there was a desperate shortage of equipment and supplies.
The Western provincial hub of Gizo, with a population of about 20 000, was one of the worst affected areas, lying just 45km from the epicentre of the 8.0-magnitude quake which triggered the tsunami.
Local residents said the only aid they had received so far were some medical supplies which arrived on a police patrol boat on Tuesday.
Fresh water supplies from wells have been contaminated and most people have no tents or tarpaulins for shelter.
Aftershocks continue
Even those who have homes to return to are reluctant to leave higher ground as strong aftershocks continue to rock the region for a third day.
Solomon Islands government communications director Alfred Maesulia said aid was starting to flow into the region.
He said a New Zealand Air Force cargo plane was en route with several hundred bags of rice and other supplies such as tents and water containers.
Another cargo plane from Australia was due to arrive in the country on Wednesday and two more ships carrying aid were to leave Honiara during the day.
Six doctors and 13 nurses were on the way to three clinics due to be set up in the affected areas, which include some of the most isolated islands of the impoverished South Pacific country.
Deputy police commissioner Peter Marshall said an aerial survey on Tuesday of the affected areas in Western Province and adjoining Choiseul province had not revealed any evidence of death on a huge scale.
"There were no obvious numbers of deceased persons at all," he said.
Marshall said the current death toll of about 30 was still expected to rise.
Police were checking out reports from villagers that up to 12 bodies were seen floating in the sea near Simbo Island, southeast of Gizo.
According to government figures Simbo has suffered the worst death toll with 12 deaths recorded so far, followed by Gizo with eight.