Preliminary impact damage assessments from the divisions have identified damage sustained to more than 300 houses in the Northern and Eastern Divisions after Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa.
The teams from the divisions were deployed to affected communities and villages last week following the aftermath of TC Yasa.
Government officials from Viti Levu have also been deployed as part of the 120 personnel deployment to Vanua Levu to assist in conducting the assessments in the North.
The team is in Vanua Levu and will begin with assessments and distribution of emergency food packs and non-food items today.
Communication services and accessibility have gradually been restored in affected areas across all four divisions.
NDMO continues to await confirmation from Police on a missing person in Lekutu, Bua.
Members of the public are again reminded to remain vigilant and take steps to prevent outbreaks of Leptospirosis, Typhoid, Diarrhoea and Dengue which are common after disasters.
As at yesterday, there were 166 evacuation centres open with 7,767 evacuees in the Eastern, Western and Northern Divisions.
All evacuation centres in the Central and Western Divisions have closed as people have returned home safely.
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None of the villages in the district of Kubulau in Bua were spared by Monster Cyclone Yasa.
A first responder, Rusiate Kalouniviti of Nadivakarua Village who has been surveying the damages on the ground says the impact is devastating.
He says in the village of Waisa, there are only three houses left standing.
Waisa villagers left homeless by the cyclone are sheltering in these three houses.
Kalouniviti says in Natokalau Village, most of the homes have been destroyed and villagers have moved into the church and community hall.
He says in the village of Naseseivua there are only six houses left standing.
Kalouniviti says there has also been significant damage to houses in the villages of Namalata, Kiobo, Raviravi and Nakorovou as well as Levuka settlement.
He says in his village of Nadivakarua, there are only three houses that were spared by the cyclone.
Kalouniviti says there is a real need for food on the ground at the moment in the district of Kubulau.
Yasawa-I-Rara Villager, Kitione Tuni says their plantations that was their main source of food on land has been destroyed.
Tuni says they are now left with no crops and vegetables after they were all uprooted by destructive winds and storm surges brought about by Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa.
He says they are now surviving on partially-damaged and uprooted crops and vegetables, but this would rot in two to three days.
Tuni says the villagers will bake these crops to preserve it, but this can only last for a week.
He says they are in need of food assistance to replace their staple crops and vegetables while they work on replanting fast-growing crops and vegetables.
Tuni says they have never come across a cyclone as strong as Cyclone Yasa, and it is a devastating experience that they will never forget.
Meanwhile, there was no extensive damage in the Mamanucas. The strong winds and heavy rain only caused tree branches to fall, and blockage of drains which brought about a few debris.
The European Union has pledged to spend close to $2 million in humanitarian aid funding to deliver emergency relief assistance to families affected by Cyclone Yasa.
EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič says Cyclone Yasa is the most powerful storm to hit Fiji this year and many families have borne a heavy brunt as a result.
Lenarčič says the EU’s contribution will support the Fijian government and the EU’s humanitarian partners in getting crucial aid to the most vulnerable people.
The EU says TC Yasa has so far affected close to 200,000 people along its path, with over 23,000 forced to flee their homes and seek shelter in hundreds of evacuation centres.
The EU funding will support humanitarian aid partners who are already on the ground to respond to the immediate needs of those most in need. This includes shelter, food, health care and access to clean water, safe sanitation and good hygiene.
The funding is part of the EU’s Acute Large Emergency Response Tool, ALERT.
@EUPasifika responds to Tropical Cyclone #Yasa in #Fiji:
— Sujiro Seam 🇪🇺 (@sujiseam) December 21, 2020
- FJD 2 millions in Humanitarian Relief
- @CopernicusEU satellite imaging for damage assessment
- Union Civil Protection Mechanism to contribute to Member States effort@eu_echo @JanezLenarcic pic.twitter.com/diusHokjzj
Lautoka businessman, Narayan Reddy and resident Allen Lockington have come together once again to help people affected by TC Yasa and they have sent the first phase of relief supplies for 200 families to Vanua Levu yesterday.
They have also been assisting people affected by COVID-19. Reddy says these relief items include 8 to 10 tonnes of clothing which has been donated by Chand’s Clothing in Lautoka, food supplies, water and dry goods which has been donated by their friends from Fiji and overseas.
Reddy says NAI’A Cruises has provided a vessel to them for free to take the relief supplies to Savusavu.
Reddy says the donation that is received from today till the 1st of next month will be sent to the Lau Group and other islands on the 2nd of next month.
If you would like to donate towards this worthy cause, you can call Narayan Reddy on 9968900.
You can also check out our Hands Across Fiji section on our website, fijivillage where we connect people needing assistance to help those severely affected by COVID-19 and TC Yasa to those who are looking at initiatives to assist the worst affected.
Fiji Airways has flown in almost 17 tonnes of relief supplies and equipment from Auckland sent by the New Zealand Government to the Fiji National Disaster Management Office.
Overnight, a Fiji Airways Airbus A330 freighter service brought in numerous pallets of supplies sent by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, facilitated by the New Zealand High Commission, Fiji’s Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Items flown over include mother and infant kits, generators, chainsaws, family hygiene kits, agriculture tool and shelter kits, collapsible water containers and other supplies.
Fiji Airways Managing Director and CEO, Andre Viljoen says they stand ready to assist Fiji and its partners in recovery and relief efforts after the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Yasa.
Viljoen says they are only too happy to bring in the 17 tonnes of relief supplies free of charge when approached by the New Zealand High Commission and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
He says their assistance efforts after TC Yasa began last Friday when they flew a special Fiji Link flight to Labasa as soon as the airport was ready, carrying essential medical supplies and personnel from various Government Ministries. This included six doctors and medical specialists from the Ministry of Health.
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