"The Flood Is Like A Thief": How World Vision Is Helping Solomon Islanders
At the beginning of April heavy rains caused flash floods across the Solomon Islands, where communities are still recovering from last year’s tsunami. 28-year-old survivor Rebecca Unga shares her harrowing story of narrowly escaping the waters and how she has become one of the 52,000 people needing assistance.
By Suzanne Wargo – Communications volunteer, WV Solomon Islands
“The flood, the water is like a thief - it has stolen everything," said Rebecca as she described the moments after the Mataniko River broke its banks and swept everything in its path out to sea. “People died as they tried to save their possessions. The force of the water washed them away.”
Following days of heavy rain river banks were strained and eventually broke inundating communities. The steep slopes of the ridges in Honiara could not sustain the heavy rains resulting in huge landslides.
More than 12,000 people have been affected and thousands of people have been left homeless; many more cannot return to their homes due to structural damage and risk of further landslides.
“I was at the market about lunch time and I just felt like something was wrong.” recalls Rebecca. “I’m not sure why I felt like something was wrong but I did. So I took the bus up the hill and just as I reached my house the flooding started.”
Rebecca quickly grabbed her son and ran further up the hill. A short time later the land near her house started sliding away.
Rebecca lives along the steep embankment in Koa Hill on the west side of the Mataniko River and saw many houses slide into the river. The power of the water took everyone by surprise and 21 people have been reported to have lost their lives and 30 are still missing almost two weeks on.
Of the approximately 72,000 people in the capital, some 12,000 people are in need of assistance with shelter, food and water.
Rebecca, along with hundreds of other members of her community, is staying in an evacuation centre as it is unsafe for her to return to her home. Her house is currently at risk of sliding down a steep embankment along with many of her neighbours’ homes. Her uncle’s house next door has nearly washed away and only has one metre of land between the house and the steep drop off below. Another house has been pushed in between Rebecca’s home and her cousin’s house.
“I thank God that my family is safe. I know many people were not as lucky.” said Rebecca.
World Vision supplied family packs and hygiene kits to people in evacuation centres during early days of the emergency response. 10,000 hygiene kits have been distributed to all 9,422 people staying in evacuation centres in Honiara through the multi-agency coordination group.
The Department for International Development (DFID) is also providing a grant to support non-food items and shelter for 900 households, 6000 people in the rural areas of the Guadalcanal Plains region.
World Vision will also be seting up Child Friendly Spaces in the coming days in selected evacuations centres and communities in Honiara and Guadalcanal.
