Samoa's Chamber of Commerce says the biggest challenge facing businesses following Tropical Cyclone Evan is the lack of water.
CEO, Ane Moananu, says electricity is back on to most parts of Apia but the government is still trying to work on the damage to water infrastructure.
She says water may not be back on until the end of Christmas week despite around the clock efforts to restore the service and this is hindering the return of normal trading.
"There's still no water so that's the main problem. It's the lack of water to not only start the clean up process but also you know water is a very essential item and it's one of the challenges that most of the businesses are facing now."
Ane Moananu says the Chamber of Commerce will be conducting a survey of Samoa businesses in January to further assess the impact of the cyclone and advise the government on how best to help them recover.
