Victims begin to rebuild homes
SAOLO villagers in Bua wasted no time and began rebuilding houses destroyed by super storm Yasa the day after the cyclone passed.
Village elder Vilikesa Pio said the people of Bua needed to work together in the true spirit of communal unity to cushion the effects of the Category 5 cyclone.
“I believe our values of respect, unity and goodwill make us resilient as a community of people and if we build on them, we will bounce back fast,” he said.
“We wasted no time in rebuilding homes in Saolo that were destroyed and started the day straight after the cyclone.”
Mr Pio said though they had many needs, chief among them was the immediate provision of food rations and rehabilitation supplies.
However, he also said it was the duty of every villager and family member to “see how we could help ourselves”.
“Now is not the time to wait for help but a moment to identify opportunities in which we can first help ourselves and our kinsmen.”
Mr Pio said their ancestors had survived countless natural disasters in the past because they lived and worked as a unit.
“We don’t have much in the village but whatever little we have, we are sharing at the moment. That is how we will weather the problems heaped upon us by Cyclone Yasa.”