This report is produced by the OCHA Office of the Pacific Islands (OoP) in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period of 21 – 22 December 2020. The next report will be issued on or around 24 December 2020.
Highlights
• Assessments in affected areas are continuing and teams on the ground are increasing daily;
• Small-scale distributions of food rations and NFIs have begun is some of the most affected areas;
• Critical infrastructure and essential services continue to be restored, although some hard-to-reach areas are still facing problems with access to water, power outages and connectivity;
• Some 8,000 persons are still in Evacuation Centres; the vast majority in the Northern Division.
Situation Overview
Restauration of critical infrastructure and essential services continues throughout the affected areas. The Water Authority of Fiji has made good progress in re-establishing access to water in the Northern Division, the most severely hit area in the country. Energy Fiji Limited has also restored most of the power. Problem areas are Rakiraki (20%), areas outside Labasa (5%), and areas in Seaqaqa and Dreketi (0%).
Assessment teams have been dispatched by national authorities as well as humanitarian partners to establish needs and damages. Some relief has already reached people in need. Focus now is on consolidating the findings of the assessments and develop a coherent humanitarian response while on-the-spot rapid assistance delivery and distribution is continuing. Logistics are a big challenge as many of the most affected areas are hard to reach.
As of 21 Dec, there were 171 Evacuation Centres (the vast majority, 160, in the Northern Division) still open accommodating 8,012 evacuees (of these, 7,560 persons in the Northern Division).
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.