Doreen saves her young children from the tsunami
Doreen was at the village water well collecting water to wash her baby’s nappies, when the big earthquake struck. She was still standing at the well when she heard someone calling her to go quickly and see her twin babies because they were crying.
She quickly carried the bucket of water and ran to her house picked up the crying baby., About two minutes later she heard people shouting “the big wave is already here, run to the hills everyone, run, run up to the hills.”
She quickly grabbed the babies, then she told her two-year old son to climb and sit on her back as she ushered her four year old son and six year old daughter to follow her and run up to the hills. As they were running the kids were looking back and telling their mother to hurry up as the wave was catching on them. Luckily one of Doreen’s brother saw her and came and helped her carried the two year old son and helped the two older children to quickly climb up the hill.
“It all happened so fast that there was no time for me to save any of my property,” said Doreen. “My twin babies were left with the only baby blanket they were covered in without any clothes at that time, and I was left with my towel I was in when the tsunami came as I did not have time to change. We were left with whatever we wore that day.”
Doreen cried when she saw that her house and all her property had been destroyed. “I was distressed and felt so hopeless seeing everything including my solar panel and light bulbs and new double mattress which I just recently bought all gone in just minutes,” Doreen said.
Doreen and her children continued to live in the bush up in the hills as they were too scared to return back to their village because of the aftershocks that continue to shake.
Devastatingly, five days after the tsunami, Doreen lost one of her twin babies. It is not known why the baby died. “I don’t know why my baby died but I am thinking, might be because I did not hold him properly when we were running away from the tsunami that might have caused some internal injuries to him or anything like that,” said Doreen sadly.
Eleven people have lost their lives and approximately 4,000 people have been impacted by the 8.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated communities in the remote Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands on 6 February 2013.
World Vision has distributed relief supplies to the people affected by the earthquake and tsunami in 23 villages including Doreen’s village.
Doreen said she is thankful for the relief items she received including rice, drinking water, a tarpaulin and a kitchen set of pots and pans, plates, cups and spoons.
“Thank you World Vision and other agencies who responded urgently to our needs” said Doreen.
World Vision Solomon Islands’ Disaster Response Manager Lawrence Hillary said the urgent needs of the people affected have now been met.
“We have now distributed emergency supplies to over 4000 people including those who were not affected by tsunami but impacted by earthquake.” said Lawrence.
“World Vision will continue to assist affected communities in Temotu Province and have plans for long-term recovery projects to ensure people can rebuild their lives.”
ENDS