Challenges prioritising aid

VANUATU – Disaster authorities in Vanuatu say prioritising which communities to give aid to is proving a challenge after Cyclone Hola.

Operations manager of the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office, Peter Korisa, said the way in which Hola impacted the islands made it difficult to coordinate the relief effort.

He said the impact of the cyclone was felt in some areas and not in others. “Lets say with one island you will notice that from the southern part of the island or from the central part of the island it is affected and the other part is not affected.”

“So it is quite difficult for us to, you know we need to prioritise only the affected areas.”

Korisa said for those affected, food water and shelter are the priority concerns.

He said there is also some difficulty reopening transport networks on the islands as a lot of large trees brought down by the cyclone had blocked roads.

Deportees arrive in Samoa

SAMOA – Samoa is preparing for the arrival this week of a chartered US flight carrying a number of convicted felons being deported from the United States.

The director of the Samoa Returnees Charitable Trust said it aimed to help the deportees re-integrate into society.

Since the NGO was set up in 2011, a total of 144 deportees have been helped, mostly from New Zealand and the US.

Faafetai Koria said most had been convicted of sexual offending and assaults and were unfamiliar with Samoan culture and protocols.

He said the Trust’s mandate was to help them find jobs and try to reduce the stigma of being a convict.

“A lot of these returnees find that they were not brought up in the social networks that Samoa provides and so they have no cultural bearings, they find it difficult to communicate because the language isn’t strong, and so they become isolated and separated,” he said.