Map locating Cyclone Heta which hit the tiny Pacific nation of Niue Tuesday, leaving one dead.(AFP)
Posted on 01/07/2004 5:16:53 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WELLINGTON (AFP) -
A New Zealand Air Force Hercules carrying emergency supplies and two air ambulances arrived in cyclone-torn Niue as more details of the devastation, death and injury on the tiny Pacific island emerged.
Niue government secretary Cecelia Talagi said the 1,500 islanders were reeling from the ferocity of Cyclone Heta which ripped through on Tuesday night, killing one woman, and seriously injuring her baby and a foreign volunteer worker, and there were reports of several other injuries.
"Yesterday morning we woke up to a scene of so much devastation, it was just unbelievable. Cyclone Heta was just so fast, furious and ruthless," Talagi told National Radio here.
On the coastal side of the island "that's where the devastation is just so traumatic.
"The houses on the coastal side were just wiped out, it is only basements standing."
At least 20 families lost everything in the storm, she said.
International SOS, a company contracted by New Zealand's foreign ministry, was flying the seriously injured to New Zealand for treatment.
"Both of these cases are life threatening which is why the air ambulances have been activated," International SOS spokesman Dean Finlay said.
The six-month-old baby was found next to his mother's body in what in the rubble of their home in the capital Alofi.
"While obviously he is a very unwell little fellow, it is very hard to tell (the extent of his injuries) until he gets under proper equipment."
The plane had to divert to Tonga to refuel before reaching New Zealand, as the aviation fuel on Niue was no longer reliable after the storm.
Talagi hoped the island would be able to restore some basic amenities within a week, but it was too early to say what the long term picture was for the country.
New Zealand Air Force spokesman John Seward said that while the airport runway was serviceable there were problems with one of the navigational aids.
The Hercules was to leave supplies and some personnel at Nuie before heading to Samoa to assess the damage there from Cyclone Heta.
It was too early to say whether further relief flights would be sent to the Pacific, but it was thought the devastation was so extensive one flight would not be enough to provide all the necessities.
Talagi said supplies and manpower were urgently needed to get amenities re-established.
"The wharf is intact and even the road coming up to the main road is intact, so we can unload a ship, but access to the fuel depot is a no, no at present," she said.
"We need help from people, we need linesmen to restore electrical lines, we need telephone technicians to restore communications and people for water restoration."
Map locating Cyclone Heta which hit the tiny Pacific nation of Niue Tuesday, leaving one dead.(AFP)
| Rank | Location | Receipts | Donors/Avg | Freepers/Avg | Monthlies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Kansas | 155.00 |
5 |
31.00 |
159 |
0.97 |
90.00 |
5 |
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