Aftermath of Cyclone Freddy

Where do we start to describe the impact of this recent tropical storm. Our national press has spoken of the loss of lives, businesses and homes but it really does hit home when so many of us have visited the area and got to know many people living there.

Reports coming in each day tell of the priests and local men digging roads in order to once more gain access to the outside world, of thousands of people displaced, with schools like Chirunga accommodating just short of 200 people, of the village’s eldest resident aged 95 years losing her home, schools closed because of physical damage, houses having fallen down, rain continuing……

All of this has come at a time when the harvest is due, much of it now damaged

In short the worst events have hit the poorest once again.