After a natural disaster, citizens and friends far and wide have a natural feeling of urgency to help those affected. Our cyclone battered country was no exception. However, many are stuck to know exactly ‘how’ to help. Do you send money? Clothes? Food? If so then, who do we send it to and how can you be sure it gets to those who are in need? Taking a step back, how do communities and families prepare to help themselves after unprecedented flooding and gale winds? History will have us anticipate a cyclone every so often as a pacific island prone to such events. Logically, locals should be able to know on the top of their head what to do and what is needed during and after the cyclone.
For Rotary Club of Apia, one of Samoa’s small but more active charitable clubs, the rally of Rotary Emergency Recover Kits or ERK’s as it is called by members, arrived as soon as the flights were allowed back into Faleolo Airport. Over 200 ERK’s from Rotary NZ have been distributed to the devastated areas of Upolu affected by the worse flooding ever recorded in Samoa’s history. The first shipment of 100 ERKs were delivered on the 22nd December 2012 by volunteers to Ma’agao, Lelata, Fa’atoia all the way through to Aai o Niue, Levili and Mo’ataa. This was the area where some fourteen lives were taken and over 100 homes were destroyed. The second shipment of another 100 ERK’s were delivered to the southern rural region of Upolu to Siumu, Maninoa, Mulivai and all along the coast.
What many wanted to know was the ERKs contained. Each box had supplies for ten people and was well suited to meet the needs of the average Samoan family. Open one up and you would find some amazing things that even the most prepared could not have thought of. Filled to the brim with: a first aid kit, machete to remove fallen branches and trees; gumboots to walk through waist deep mud from flood remnants; large tarpaulin and rope; cutlery set of ten cups, plates, pots and pans; a birthing kit with disinfectant, birthing scissors, gloves, stitching needles and bandages; waterproof matches and candles; flash light and batteries; clothing; bathroom kit with soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste; panadols; buckets to carry water; and addition to this, the box itself was built to store about a gallon of water once the supplies were empty – Rotarians educated each family of the use of water purifier tablets to be dropped into the box making it safe to drink should they suspect the water contained was unsafe. There were fifty purifier tablets in each box.
While handing the boxes to a family of seventeen who had lost everything including their home, the father was amazed that all the supplies were brand new. He was humbled at the donation and was upset that he didn’t have any food to offer as was expected in Samoan hospitality. The resilience and strong spirit of the locals came through as they smiled amidst their loss and greeted us with good humour cheerfully accepting our donations and sending us off with blessings.
“Samoans are unbreakable, not a single person was wallowing in self-pity or waiting for help – they just go on with it and started cleaning up and clearing trees and logs out to rebuild. They’re so resourceful and everyone came together to help each other get back on their feet”, reported one Rotarian. The devastation caused was heartbreaking. Behind the Apia Park stadium we saw a group of about twelve people including young ones of around nine to ten years old all lined up behind an enormous tree log trying to push and roll it onto smaller logs off of their tunoa (traditional cooking fale) so they can rebuild it. Households with babies were thankful for the purifying tablets to allow them to prepare baby bottles and drink safe water. Others gleamed as they put on their boots to protect their feet from the mud and debris allowing them to finally walk through their yard without getting cut up.
Rotary Club of Apia has come a long way in terms of experience and skill in dealing with disasters. The 2009 tsunami saw it mobilizing hundreds of Shelter Boxes to the southern coast only two days after it hit. At that same time Rotary immediately instigated its medical outreach programme (Rotary 5000) in partnership with the Oceania University of Medicine to provide medical care to victims. “When our country is in need, we’ll be there and help wherever and however we can. This is what Rotary is about – our members are loyal and motivated because we provide them the opportunity to help; to give back. There are only a few of us and we have a workload of a hundred people but we strive to get things done despite our limitations. We don’t let obstacles get in our way and the support from our people has always been the reward”, said President Toleafoa Douglas Creevey.
President Toleafoa says there is and always has been enormous support from partner clubs of Rotary International for decades. Samoa is the darling of the Pacific and for Rotary there is no exception – they love Samoa and want to help. Dozens of clubs from New Zealand, Australia, American Samoa, Fiji and others all rushed in to send us aid and assistance. We were privileged to have been sent the 200 ERKs from Rotary NZ. Almost 2,000 people are now better off than they were when Cyclone Evan hit.
Rotary Club of Apia was established in 1971 and remains one of Samoa’s more active and longest serving charitable service clubs. It is recognized by DMO and the government of Samoa as one of their NGO partners in times of disaster. More information can be obtained on www.apiarotary.ws.
Submitted by: Phaedra Moors
Related Links:
www.rnzwcs.org
