In Brief: Cyclone Ita will cost a billion dollars

Queensland looks set to face a damage bill of up to one billion dollars after Cyclone Ita ravaged infrastructure and major industries.

Cyclone Ita will cost a billion dollars

AUSTRALIA – Queensland looks set to face a damage bill of up to one billion dollars after Cyclone Ita ravaged infrastructure and major industries. Sugarcane and banana plantations were the worst hit, with the tourism industry also preparing for a massive toll. Premier Campbell Newman predicted it might take up to three months to break the back of the recovery task. About 700km of cane country from the Burdekin north to Mossman has been damaged. Canegrowers spokesman Peter Sheedy said about 80 per cent of the crop in the prime Herbert River district had been flattened and damage covered most of the fertile coastal strip. Newman said reconnecting water, electricity and telecommunications would be the priority and compensation payments would be available to homeowners under disaster relief arrangements.

Cyclone Ita thrashes Milne Bay area

PAPUA NEW GUINEA – It is estimated 54,000 people in Papua New Guinea have been affected by Tropical Cyclone Ita and authorities expect that number to rise. Cyclone Ita grew to a category three as it passed the eastern tip of mainland PNG late last week. It departed as a category five and headed towards the Queensland coast where it inflicted more damage. The co-ordinator of the Milne Bay provincial disaster office, Eric Balaria, says the southeastern Rossel and Sudest islands, in the Louisiade Archipelago, were the worst affected. “Total of about 54,000 people affected, about 11,000 households. Houses destroyed so far 1134. Food gardens destroyed 590. So that’s the figure we received as of yesterday.” He says he expects the figures to climb as more reports come in from isolated areas. There have been no reports of deaths or injuries directly related to the cyclone.

To be paid to clear up after cyclone

TONGA – The United Nations Development Programme has signed an agreement with the Tongan government to pay families in cyclone-hit Ha’apai to clean debris from affected areas themselves. The government of Tonga estimates total damages of almost US$30 million from Cyclone Ian, which caused significant damage to homes, infrastructure and agriculture in January. The deputy resident representative, Akiko Fujii, says the scheme, called Cash- For-Work, is hoped to speed up recovery efforts. She says four months on from the disaster, many people are still living in tents and debris still needs cleaning up. Fujii says up to 1500 locals will take part in the project after an application and selection process.

Premier Talagi loses majority on Niue

NIUE– The Premier of Niue has failed to gain a majority in the house of parliament at the weekend’s general election. Toke Talagi was beaten by businessman Stanley Kalauni, who last year said the premier was “going bananas” over proposing an asylum seekers camp on Niue. Analysts on Niue say Talagi no longer has a stronghold over the 20-member parliament, with only 10 seats under his control, with Kalauni likely to have the support of the other half of the house. Two village seats could be the deciding factor in who will lead the tiny island nation with a population of 1200 for the next three years. By early next week the numbers could well favour new leadership and a revised three-member cabinet.

Ship to provide free medical care

THE PACIFIC – A New Zealand-based volunteer organisation is refitting a ship to travel through the Pacific, visiting remote islands providing free medical care. Marine Reach is a Christian not-forprofit group, which has purchased the 55-metre long Pacific Hope through fundraising. Once refurbished, the vessel will be able to carry up to 80 volunteers, including medical professionals who will be able to do ophthalmology, primary health care, optometry and dentistry on board. Marine Reach’s chief executive officer, Captain Jesse Misa, says the former marine training vessel from Japan is now undergoing a refit in the port of Tauranga. Misa says Pacific Hope should be ready to sail next year and will visit Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu initially.