14 Apr 2014

Natural disasters in Solomons taking huge toll on people

1:40 pm on 14 April 2014

Save the Children in Solomon Islands says a series of natural disasters over the last 10 days is taking a huge psychological toll on people.

Strong earthquakes over the last two days have come as 10,000 people remain in evacuation centres following the recent devastating flash floods, which left 24 people dead and some still unaccounted for.

The emergency manager for Save the Children, Graham Kenna, says people are frightened to leave the evacuation centres.

"The three earthquakes we've had recently have really put a lot of fear into people who are sheltering in the evacuation centres. Most of them left the centres to seek higher ground, and they're traumatised enough, but this is making things worse. People are frightened to go back to some of the low-lying areas that flooded and re-establish their lives."

Graham Kenna says it is doing all it can to check up on the 4,000 children living in evacuation centres.