Summary:
Tropical Cyclone Winston, which swept through Fiji on 20 and 21 February 2016, caused loss of lives and significant damage across its path. The Government of Fiji estimates that almost 350,000 people (180,000 men and 170,000 women) living in the cyclone’s path could have been affected. As of 8 March, 43 people had been confirmed dead. All the geographical divisions of Fiji have been affected to different extents. Shortly after Winston made landfall, the Government of Fiji declared a 30-day state of emergency, followed by a request for international assistance. While relief efforts are well underway, they have been hampered by communication and access challenges considering that the affected area is geographically dispersed. Three weeks on, emergency communications are only now being restored.
According to the latest government figures, 166,000 people are estimated to be in need of food assistance. Longer-term needs are becoming clearer as detailed assessments continue alongside relief efforts. The needs will predominantly be around shelter, water supply, sanitation and food security. To date, the Fiji Red Cross Society (FRCS) has reached over 25,000 directly affected people with essential non-food items (NFIs), including relief shelter materials, blankets and water storage containers. The National Society and its Movement partners have also been instrumental in restoring family links, receiving 40 requests to date and successfully resolving half of them.
The FRCS has mobilized over 160 volunteers and over 30 staff on the ground, and has continued its efforts to assist people in evacuation centres by distributing relief aid. They continue to assess the impact and needs in all affected areas. The FRCS has a broad mandate – from decision making along with the National Disaster Council, to the community level – across the country. The mandate includes supporting humanitarian services of public authorities at both national and local levels to ensure that the immediate, relief and recovery efforts are coordinated and effective.
Contributions, in cash and/or in kind, towards this appeal have so far been received from the Australian Red Cross, Canadian Red Cross, Singapore Red Cross, the European Commission (DG ECHO) and the Italian Government