World Vision assisting displaced communities following 8.0 earthquake

World Vision emergency response staff will work into the night in the tsunami-affected areas of Lata, Temotu province in the Solomon Islands to assist families displaced by today’s earthquake triggered tidal surge.

Staff on the ground report that Lata airport and five nearby coastal communities, on the north-eastern part of the Santa Cruz Islands, home to some 700 households have moved higher ground tonight. Churches and schools are being used as temporary shelters. The tsunami warning for the Pacific has now been lifted but significant tremors are still being felt in the province.

World Vision, in its rapid assessment identified shelter and water to be the most immediate needs of affected people. Coastal wells have been covered by debris, water tanks have been damaged and the coastal areas are littered with dead fish and poultry. The airport is flooded with debris that will need to be cleared to allow emergency flights to land tomorrow.

In their assessment of two coastal communities in the north-east of Lata, World Vision reported that homes had shifted 5 to 10 metres and 90% had been damaged. Schools and churches have been destroyed or badly damaged. In the area of Nela, a small village of 200 people, 95% of homes have been washed away.

As part of the initial emergency response, World Vision will assist with procuring water for households and help with debris clearance. Further assessments will continue in the morning.

For more information, please contact:

Kristy Allen-Shirley
Communications Director, South Asia and Pacific Regional Office
World Vision International
+65 8222 8696
email: kristy_allen-shirley@wvi.org
skype: kristyduncan