Villagers of Kia Island in Macuata have received relief supplies from the National Disaster Management Office, Australian Government, Red Cross, Vodafone and Republic of Fiji Military Forces.
Kia Island is one of the worst affected areas after Cyclone Yasa.
The Australian TC Yasa relief supplies arrived on Kia Island yesterday.
Kia Island Nurse Losana Yabaki says after the cyclone, they were in urgent need of food and water but they are so fortunate that the very next day they received assistance from some of their relatives overseas, Red Cross and Vodafone. The NDMO also dropped off supplies over the weekend.
Yabaki has confirmed that they have received water assistance as all their tanks were damaged except two which the whole village is using now.
Yaro, Daku and Ligau are the three villages on Kia Island.
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Westpac and Kina Bank have given around $150,000 to the Fiji Red Cross Society to support people and communities affected by Cyclone Yasa.
Westpac Fiji Chief Executive Kip Hanna says they have a long history of assisting Fijians and hopes they are able to help during what is already a trying time for the people.
Chief Executive Officer of Kina Bank Greg Pawson says the assistance will enable the Red Cross to respond quickly to immediate needs such as food and shelter.
Customers who need assistance are also urged to contact their Westpac Relationship Manager, Branch Manager, or call 3217700.
Consumer Council of Fiji Chief Executive Officer, Seema Shandil says retailers should do the right thing by destroying food items and meat that have been affected because of power outage and flood waters.
Shandil says consumers are also urged to exercise their responsibility while purchasing food items, particularly frozen goods.
During Tropical Cyclone Yasa, power failure was experienced by the entire nation and some areas in the North and West are still without electricity.
The council says past experiences reveal that many businesses have made unscrupulous attempts to profit from the sale of damaged goods by selling them at low prices.
Consumers are advised to refrain from purchasing these products as there may be possible contamination. She says food, especially perishable items that require freezing would definitely be affected due to power outage.
It is advisable not to purchase thawed products even if the prices are really low.
The council says consumers can easily identify whether frozen food is thawed or not by looking at its shape as thawed food items generally lose their original shape and will be soft despite supermarket owners switching freezers on again.
The Consumer Council will beef up its monitoring and surveillance at this time to ensure consumers rights to safety are not infringed. Those with concerns regarding the condition of the products sold post-cyclone are urged to contact the Council on toll-free number 155
The National Disaster Management Office has deployed a vessel with relief supplies and food rations to Lomaiviti and Lau.
Teams from the Fiji Red Cross, Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Water Authority of Fiji and other stakeholders left Suva last night to supply relief items for those affected by Tropical Cyclone Yasa in Lomaiviti and Lau.
The team is taking NDMO ration packs, Fiji Red Cross kits and WAF water pipes.
Stakeholders on-board will be spending Christmas in Lomaiviti and Lau while they carry out relief works for those affected by TC Yasa.
Power supply has now been fully restored in Taveuni.
Due to severe damage to infrastructure, only 8% of areas in Labasa and Savusavu have power supply while none of the areas in Seaqaqa and Dreketi have power.
Over 116 Energy Fiji Limited workers, materials and 40 vehicles and machinery are in Vanua Levu carrying out restoration works.
In the Western Division, 70% of areas in Rakiraki now have power supply.
The areas in Rakiraki still without power are Wairuku, Vitawa, Nakorovou, Mataso, Bainisoqosoqo, Burenitu, Nausori Village and Dreketi Circular Road.
60% of areas in Ovalau have power supply restored.
The Water Authority of Fiji says they have restored water supply to majority of the metered areas in the Northern Division which includes Labasa, Seaqaqa, Dreketi, Vunivau and Nabouwalu.
CEO, Barry Omundson say since TC Yasa, they have deployed two separate teams for rapid assessment and repair of the most critical issues in the North.
He says an additional 11 water carting trucks have been shipped from the Central Division which brings the total to 35 trucks delivering water in the affected areas.
Omundson says they are committed to restoring water services as soon as possible, bearing in mind all safety precautions, and teams from other divisions are helping in this.
He says it is understandable that people are distressed after the toll that the cyclone has taken but restoration and repair works take time in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
The CEO says a special customer call centre has also been set up especially for those in the Northern Division and customers can call 1508 for enquiries and assistance.
Omundson says WAF is currently focusing on non-metered areas, conducting initial damage assessments and continuing to provide water carting to affected areas.
He says teams have been mobilised to rural areas to assess and gather information necessary for planning the Authority’s next steps in assisting affected Fijians.
He is advising customers to conserve and always store sufficient amounts of water to last for at least 5 to 7 days.
Students that live in some areas worst affected by TC Yasa are showing their resilience by showing up to sit for their exams.
The Education Ministry says many Year 12 and 13 students are keen to sit for their remaining exam papers and it is evident from the attendance report received from Lekutu Secondary School in Bua.
The school is one of the most affected by TC Yasa and five out of the seven students registered for the physics paper sat for their paper yesterday.
The Education Ministry gave students the option to sit for the exam or gain a compassionate mark depending on their personal situation.
[image: Fijian Government]
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