22 Apr 2004

Damage to flood-stricken Fiji will be felt in the long term, says NZ Aid

10:13 am on 22 April 2004

The manager of NZ Aid in Fiji, Nicki Wrighton, says the real damage caused by floods in Fiji will be felt more in the long term rather than in the short term.

Ms Wrighton, says over the past few days they've conducted a series of flights to drop off relief and food supplies to reach villages still cut off after the floods, where there is widespread damage to homes and crops.

She says confirming the real extent of the damage throughout the country could take a long time, and right now the immediate concern for most people is just getting back to their homes, or what's left of them.

"The damage, I think is going to be more long term, even than short term. There's obviously a fair number of houses that have been swept away, and that's going to be a significant need. But there's also food security and the access to food. Many communities will have lost their crops, a lot of those crops will be completely damaged, that's going to take some months, before they can both replant and then have those replanted crops come to fruition in any way."