Habit for Humanity Seeking Builders & Trades To Help Samoa Rebuild Homes

Posted: October 2, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Community, Current, Earthquake Tsunami Samoa/AmSampa 09, Environment, Noticeboard Tsunami, NZPacific, Politics, South Pacific Region | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

If there is a story that has given me hope for Samoa today, this is it. This puts a smile on your face reading an announcement like this. Wish I was a builder given how valuable those skills are in a disaster zone. Makes you really grateful for all the builders and tradesperson in the country, that’s for sure.

Habitat News

Project Samoa Hope - Habitat for Humanity New Zealand responds to disaster

Project Samoa Hope – Habitat for Humanity New Zealand responds to disaster

Habitat for Humanity New Zealand has announced today that it is responding to the Samoan Tsunami Disaster.

Habitat is sending a disaster relief expert with significant experience from the South Asia tsunami to Samoa to quickly assess the need for both emergency and long term shelter, and link with local agencies as they plan for the ongoing rebuilding work.

Habitat has considerable experience in rebuilding tens of thousands of homes after the South Asia tsunami of December 2004.

An appeal has been launched for funds to help with both emergency shelter provision and the rebuilding of homes.

Habitat is also seeking expressions of interest from volunteer builders and trade persons who are able to go to Samoa and help with the cleanup and rebuilding. These can be sent to information@habitat.org.nz.

Dates cannot be finalised until assessment of need and conditions is completed in Samoa, but Habitat will keep all interested parties informed of progress so that Kiwi teams can go to Samoa when the timing is right.

Habitat’s NZ Chief Executive, Pete North, says that this disaster has touched many families here in New Zealand as well as Samoa and Habitat New Zealand will lead the Habitat response in the reconstruction process.

Samoa Tsunami: Families Crying Through the Darkest Night

Posted: September 30, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Community, Current, Earthquake Tsunami Samoa/AmSampa 09, Environment, Noticeboard Tsunami, NZPacific, Politics, South Pacific Region, Tourism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Earthquake and Tsunami destruction on the island of Samoa

I’ve been listening to Kerre on Newstalk ZB this evening.  Caller after caller express their devastation at hearing the tragedy unfolding in Samoa. That’s coming from family and friends in New Zealand.

Thinking of our people back in Samoa. Missing children. Missing mothers and fathers. Missing grandmothers and grandbrothers. Missing brothers and sisters. A large number of families who are still missing tonight and in the dark without shelter. Heartbreaking.

Thinking of the families in the dark tonight out in the South Coast with power lines out, the dead around them.

Families looking for missing children, grandparents, mothers and fathers.  How, and where will they sleep tonight, amidst the debris and the smell of death? I can imagine the cries that will bellow throughout the desseminated villages in the darkest night. Hospitals are reportedly full and there’s no room for the dead that have been found. I know Poutasi Hospital destroyed. In a country that does not have a first class medical resources, any reduction to medical resources are likely to have overwhelmingly distrastrous effects on a people, already traumatised.

List of villages on the South Coast of Upolu (the most beautiful coastline in the world): Lepa, Falealili, Lalomanu, Aufaga with Paradise Cove, Matatufu, Lotofaga, Aleipata district, the list goes on. In the chaos and debris and blocked roads, I cannot see the rescue teams being able to reach all the villages within the next day or so. They will need more manpower and equipment than Samoa presently has.

God Bless Samoa. Please. Time for prayer.