16 Jan 2019

Kiribati assesses impact of damaging sea flooding

3:35 pm on 16 January 2019

Repairing damaged seawalls is the main focus of the Kiribati government after storms and sea surges earlier this month.

A seawall protecting a home from coastal erosion in Kiribati, climate change.

A seawall protecting a home from coastal erosion in Kiribati Photo: UNDP / Sheryl Ho

A government emergency response team made an assessment through last week of the remote atolls of Tamana and Arorae.

It found significant impact on the coastline and many houses destroyed.

The team distributed emergency relief such as tarpaulins, blankets and non-perishable food stuffs.

The government also said there was a lot of damage to houses and sea walls in southern Kiribati and at Betio and South Tarawa.

In terms of the seawall damage the government is now mobilising resources, while in South Tarawa and Betio flooded areas are being filled with reef material.