Close to 1000 people flocked to the National Auditorium on Sunday evening for the Cyclone Season National Thanksgiving Service.

Prime Minister Mark Brown delivered a special address acknowledging the power and faith of prayer and Christianity to the harmony and prosperity of our nation.

“The Lord helps those who help themselves – while our faith and prayer sustains us, it is also up to us to do what we can to make a real difference in our own lives, in the lives of those close to us, in the lives of our community and our nation,” said Brown.

He said the country and its people should do whatever was necessary to protect ourselves against climate change.

“We have to help ourselves, that is why we want to restart our tourism so we can generate our own money and historically by next year for the first time we will turn to our ocean and look to the depths of our ocean for the prosperity that has been placed there to help us to protect ourselves against the impact of the climate change…”

Brown emphasised a uniqueness of the Cook Islands, “we are not just a country, we are a community - one of our great strengths”.

“We pull together in times of need, as exemplified right now, here at this service, where we not only come together as Christians united in faith but also as a community that has already faced so much and yet continues to hold strong, to persevere and endure - we face all things together.

“Christianity has built up our sense of togetherness, our sense of oneness, our sense of a truly national community – a community now world-renowned for the friendly smiles and open arms of our people, for our strong and vibrant cultural identity and for our Christian values.”

The cyclone season runs from November, 2021 to April, 2022. Cook Islands Meteorological Service director Arona Ngari earlier told Cook Islands News that although the risk of tropical cyclones is enhanced from February to April, Cook Islands should prepare for the whole period of the cyclone season – November to April.

“It is a La Nina episode now which means a not so high risk for cyclones for us from November to April. Of the 12 cyclones expected in the region, two or less are expected for the Cook Islands.”