The European Commission has granted €420,000 in humanitarian aid for the people of Fiji Islands affected by Cyclone Ami in January. The funds will be directed through the Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), which comes under the responsibility of Commissioner Poul Nielson. The objective of this funding decision is to help people whose homes have been destroyed or damaged by providing them with essential non-food items. It will also restore and improve access to clean drinking water in rural areas and repair some damaged schools. Over 130,000 people were affected when Tropical Cyclone Ami hit Fiji in the early morning of 14 January, destroying homes and flooding parts of the South Pacific Archipelago with winds of up to 185km/h. A state of disaster was declared as around 8,000 houses, crops and infrastructure including schools, communications and electricity supply were damaged or destroyed. Heavy rainfall led to landslides and intensive flooding, including dangerous flash floods.