19 May 2005

Tokelau administrator encouraged by progress in cyclone clean-up

1:43 pm on 19 May 2005

The administrator of Tokelau says he is encouraged by significant progress on all three atolls in clearing up after Cyclone Percy in February.

Neil Walter has just returned to Wellington after visiting the islands, which are part of New Zealand.

Mr Walter says he saw that people had cleared waste up and things were getting back to normal.

He says the director of finance from Tokelau will be at NZAID in Wellington next week, with an assessment from each village and what its priorities are.

".We're putting together a case for further assistance from New Zealand and I think you're talking hundreds of thousands of [NZ] dollars rather than millions of dollars to repair the damage to the infrastructure, that's essentially sea walls and roads, and some of the utility systems there."

Mr Walter says Tokelau wants to replace equipment lost or damaged in school and hospitals, and it wants to set up a waste management plan.