2 May 2018

People still need help with Gita rebuild - Tonga Red Cross

6:45 am on 2 May 2018

The head of Tonga's Red Cross says hundreds of people are waiting for the government to help them rebuild houses that were destroyed in February's Cyclone Gita.

No caption

Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller

Secretary General Sione Taumoefolau said the Red Cross was slowly winding down its operations after its initial assistance efforts.

Mr Taumoefolau said the recovery of food and crops did not seem to be too much of an issue on the main island of Tongatapu.

However he said up to 400 houses were destroyed and deemed uninhabitable after the storm and many people were still living in makeshift shelters.

"Those people who are facing the challenges of no shelter but we can't, at the moment, replace their tents and we believe the tents are starting to be ruined now because after three months [and] the weather conditions are totally different. The rain, then also dry and make the tent not good to stay on," said Sione Taumoefolau.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs