• Tropical Cyclone Tomas Situation Report No. 4 Date: 26 March 2010

This report was issued by OCHA Sub-Regional Office for the Pacific in Fiji.

I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES • Rapid assessments by government teams have identified 517 totally destroyed houses while 1,150 houses were partly damaged. • The estimated damages to other sectors such as health, education and agriculture, including infrastructure, is so far estimated at almost FJ$ 35 million, of which almost $23 million is agricultural damage, mainly on . • The Fiji Government confirmed that priority areas for international assistance at this stage are: rehabilitation of education and health facilities, rehabilitation of damaged and destroyed houses, as well as other capital infrastructure, agriculture and additional food rations. • Assessment teams are returning from affected areas and are expected to present findings early next week.

II. Situation Overview

Tropical Cyclone (TC) Tomas, Category 4, battered the eastern parts of the Fiji Islands for two days from 14 March onwards. While the main islands of and were largely spared, a State of Emergency (“State of Natural Disaster”) was declared for the Northern Division and the Lomaiviti and Lau group in the Eastern Division. The death toll has been revised to two deaths.

Relief operations are ongoing, led by government agencies and the Fiji Red Cross Society (FRCS) with support from donor partners and UN agencies. FRCS has currently 19 emergency response team in the field involved in the distribution of non-food items (NFI’s) as well as health awareness activities. Over 4,500 people have been directly assisted in the provision of NFIs including 200 tents provided by the Red Cross.

Rapid assessments by government teams have identified 517 destroyed houses while 1,150 houses were damaged. The damages to key infrastructure, such as roads and jetties, is estimated at FJ$ 8.6 million, while damages to health infrastructure are estimated at $2.5 million, damages to the education sector at $1.1 million and damages to the agriculture sector, mainly on Taveuni, at $23 million.

Bilateral donors, UN and local partners have supported the relief operations through provision of various relief items, including 1,225 tarpaulins; 698,000 water purification tablets; 9,300 water containers; 55 large size tents; 9,000 soaps as well as food items. The FRCS and local donors have also distributed basic relief kits.

The Government announced that further international support would be welcomed for the rehabilitation of education and health facilities, rehabilitation of damaged and destroyed houses as well as other capital infrastructure, agriculture and additional food rations. Donor agencies, including , New Zealand, France, Japan, China, UK, EU and Taiwan were already requested to support these priority areas.

III. Humanitarian Needs and Response

Early Recovery • Infrastructure rehabilitation, such as roads and jetties (excluding electricity, water, health and educational facilities), is estimated to cost FJ$ 4.6 million in the Eastern Province and $4 million in the Northern Division. Damages to the electricity network are estimated at $311,426. • Development partners are awaiting the results of detailed assessments to determine priorities and actions for early recovery.

Education • The Fiji National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) reports that 51 schools in the Eastern and 16 schools in the Northern Division were affected. Estimated damages to schools in the Northern division are FJ$ 1.1 million. Assessments from the Eastern Division are still in progress. • These schools require text books and exercise books, as well as school tents to substitute destroyed classrooms. UNICEF and NZAID have already provided 55 school tents. • The Ecumenical Center of Research, Education and Advocacy (ECREA), with the support of Caritas New Zealand, has identified assistance for the education sector as a priority, and is considering assisting Cikobia, Rabi, Kioa and Taveuni Islands in the Northern division. • The EU-funded Fiji Education Sector Programme could redirect programme funding to rehabilitate affected schools, as well as assist with subsidizing school fees for affected communities. • Save the Children Fiji have identified educational needs, such as stationary and lunch programmes, for 2,600 school children in the Northern division. This number is expected to increase as assessments continue.

Food, Nutrition and Agriculture • One month food rations were supplied for Eastern Division while two week food rations were delivered to the Northern Division. • The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Fiji is in the process of preparing an additional 1,949 food packs for distribution to TC Tomas affected families needing food in the Northern and Eastern Division. • Agricultural damages have been estimated at almost FJ$ 24 million, mainly on Taveuni (FJ$ 20 million). On Taveuni the office of the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) was partly destroyed by a fallen tree. Reports have not been received from Lau yet. • The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) conducted an assessment on livestock and farms on Taveuni and will support the DPI with a back up generator to restore its cold chain and 2km of electric fencing to prevent cattle going astray.

Health • Health teams are returning by boat from affected areas and assessment results are expected early next week. Based on this health partners will prepare next actions and priorities. • The Ministry of Health (MOH) is preparing a typhoid intervention (including vaccination) together with WHO, funded by AusAID. MOH monitors closely monitor other diseases, such as leptospirosis, dengue and diarrheal diseases. • Health awareness teams consisting of MOH and FRCS staff are conducting awareness activities on good hygiene behavior and prevention of water borne diseases in identified high risk communities. These activities are being held concurrently with the distribution of water purification tablets and water containers. A total of 700 hygiene and hand washing promotion kits and 400 first aid kits and bottled water are also being distributed. • FRCS distributed 244 HIV/AIDS preventative kits in affected areas.

Logistics • NDMO identified the availability of appropriate boats to reach coastal villages with building material cargo as a potential bottleneck for the response.

Emergency Telecommunications • Telecom Fiji estimates the damages to telecommunications at FJ$ 665,000 • Restoration work is still ongoing to the damaged service station and tower on Desvoeux Peak on Taveuni that covers a large part of the Northeast. Temporary communication services have been restored to Vanuabalavu, and Matangi islands. Almost all services on wire line in Taveuni are back to normal.

Shelter • In addition to an extra shipment of tarpaulins by the Australian Government, the Japanese Government has donated 300 tents. NDMO estimates that the need for emergency shelter should be covered by these latest donations. • A coordinated approach to the reconstruction of private houses is recommended. Several development partners have expressed an interest in supporting housing reconstruction and are likely to discuss support next week.

2 The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.

• Habitat for Humanity Fiji has expressed its interest in building 245 homes on Vanua Levu and Vanuabalavu.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene • The WASH cluster, led by MOH and UNICEF, is preparing for the results of the detailed assessments and will meet on 1 April to agree on a common analysis and determine priority needs and actions and required resources to address these.

IV. Coordination • A Pacific Humanitarian Team (PHT) coordination meeting was held on 24 March, where MoFA, NDMO and FRCS provided a briefing and each cluster provided an update on cluster activities. The PHT is expected to meet again next week following the release of relevant detailed assessment reports.

V. Funding • No updates available.

All humanitarian partners including donors and recipient agencies are encouraged to inform FTS of cash and in-kind contributions by sending an email to: [email protected].

VI. Contact

OCHA Pacific: Mr. Peter Muller, Regional Disaster Response Adviser Email: [email protected] Tel: +679-331 6761, Mobile: +679 999 1664

OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific: Ms. Yindee Lertcharoenchok, Humanitarian Affairs Analyst (Disaster Response), Email: [email protected] Tel: +66 (0) 2288 2437

OCHA New York: Ms. Pia Hussein CRD Asia-Pacific Section Email: [email protected], Tel: +1 917 602 0212.

For more information, Pacific Disaster Net (http://www.pacificdisaster.net/) has created a wiki-page for TC Tomas at http://pdn.appspot.com/CycloneTomas/

3 The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.