Updated 25 October 2012, 12:35 AEST

How fast can a community rebuild from a disaster? Six months have passed since Fiji was devastated by floods, and three years since Samoa was hit by a tsunami.

Listen: UN inspects post-disaster recovery in Fiji and Samoa (Credit: ABC)

This week, UN experts are visiting both countries to assess building efforts.

Presenter: Geraldine Coutts

Speaker: Rudi Muller, Chief of the Emergency Services Branch of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Samoa