Mother Tells of Cyclone Ordeal
All I could do was hug my children and hope that the strong winds would end soon.
These were the words of Alaniete Veronika as she described the ordeal they went through during Tropical Cyclone Harold at Naqara Village in Ono, Kadavu. The mother of five children said all she could do was pray and hoped for the best.
“We were at home at around 1pm when this happened. The wind was so strong,” Ms Veronica said. “We hid under the table with the steward’s wife and her children and the nurse. The men put heavy materials on top of the table so that it does not fly.
“My husband and the village steward stood beside the table to protect us. They both held the mattress on the sides of the table so that we did not get wet.
“When all this was happening I did not know what to think. The steward’s wife hugged her oneyear-old child and her other child. “I hugged my children and prayed to God to protect my husband and the steward..
“The strong wind blew for about two hours. Part of our house blew away and we were frightened. I could see that my children were afraid and all I could do was hug them tighter to assure them that it was going to be okay.”
Ms Veronika was thankful that despite what they went through, God protected them.
“The two hours we were under the table felt like a day. I have never experienced anything like this, but I am thankful that we are all safe,” she said.
“Now we are cleaning the house and drying our clothes. We are now living at another house in the village.
“The farms are all destroyed and we are eating whatever we could find from the farm.
“Now we will only eat twice a day and that is breakfast and dinner. “The ship came to the village two weeks ago and there is nothing left at the shop. We are just hoping that assistance will reach us as soon as possible.
“We have been trying to call other villages, but we could not get through because the tower has been destroyed.
“From what we heard they also faced what we went through and I am glad no one died or suffered serious injuries.”
Easter
“We are preparing our Easter lunch with whatever we can,” Ms Veronika said.
“Easter is an important occasion for us where we like to prepare a big feast, but for us here at Naqara Village we are going to share the little food we have with each other. “I know we will get through this no matter what.”