Transcript
ILAITIA TALEITAKI: It's a terrible thing I've never seen before, I've seen it yesterday during the storm. It was a very dangerous situation we met here, one whole day, twelve hours.
JENNY MEYER: Very frightening winds?
IT: Yeah, frightening winds, roof irons still flying around the villages, branches tree branches big trees fell down uprooted.
JM: Ok and you said the old people are saying it's the worst they've ever seen?
IT: Yeah, it's the worst they've ever seen because luckily it's been in the daylight, eh? The strong winds and they've never seen before, they've never met before the strong wind like yesterday. And plenty damages because they are strong houses that they built and some of them has been badly damaged. Badly damaged and we walked around the village this morning and we just walk around, and we just look around the village there are terrible things we've been seen happening this morning.
JM: And the crops hav been damaged also?
IT: The crops have been damaged too. Up-rooted, they are fully damaged. Ground zero, it's ground zero around the root crops.
JM: What will happen now? Are some people still in the evacuation centres?
IT: Yeah every evacuation has been having people still living there. Waiting for their houses to be repaired. Waiting for the help from the villagers to go and clean their houses, so they can prepare their house to be prepared before they move in.
JM: And you're saying the airport and the runway are actually ok are they?
IT: Yeah in the mean time it's ok, it's clean and everthing's set for the plane to land.
JM: Okay, you must be very relieved that the cyclone is over now?
IT: Yeah, it's very good to see the cyclone left us, early afternoon, yesterday afternoon, yesterday night. And we've been happy to be being alive from the big disaster.
JM: Ok well that's great I'm happy that you're alive too and that everyone there is safe. You said there's no bad injuries or no one died that you know of?
IT: It's true there's no one died, no bad injuries. It may be that people here are still happy about their lives being come away from dangers.
Mr Taleitaki says he is hoping the island people will receive some help to re-establish their food crops, clear damage and repair their homes.