Rabi appeals for food

[Stacey King]

Saturday, March 27, 2010 - Fiji Times Online
MORE than 100 houses on Rabi have been damaged, the initial assessment by the National Disaster Management Office has revealed.
Rabi Island Council yesterday launched an appeal to raise funds and collect food for their people.
Council chairman Dr Paulo Vanualailai said all food crops on the island had been destroyed by Hurricane Tomas.
He said the initial cost of damage was about $700,000, excluding agriculture.
He said two of the four main villages Buokanikai and Tabiang were hit badly.
"We need to get food to the people for at least three months until the food crops on the island get ready," he said.
Dr Vanualailai said he was grateful to the Commissioner Northern for supplying two weeks of food rations.
"I am also looking at constant shipping of food to the island until the food crops get ready on the island," he said, adding that most of the roads had been washed away.
He said the immediate needs on the island were food, water tanks, purification tablets, mosquito control equipment and seedlings for agriculture.