21 Apr 2004

Fiji disaster management team to prioritise resettlement of homeless flood victims

10:26 am on 21 April 2004

Fiji's disaster management centre says getting temporary housing for those left homeless by the floods is now one of its top priorities.

It's estimated there are around 1000 evacuees still in evacuation centres, although disaster management centre Director Joeli Rokovada says many are now returning home.

He says one of the big problems now is how to encourage self reliance among those displaced by the floods, and get them to start replanting, when many of them don't even have homes to return to.

"How do we deal with the current situation? They need some form of belief in terms of housing before they can deal with looking after the rehabilitation of their crops."

Mr Rokovada says the Fiji Cabinet met yesterday to consider a report on the disaster, which is estimated to have cost at least $5.6 million.