52 000 people remain affected after severe floods hit Solomon Islands

Heavy rain from a tropical depression, which later became Tropical Cyclone Ita, has caused severe flooding in the Solomon Islands over the last couple of days leaving over 53 000 people affected. 21 people were confirmed dead as of April 10, 2014.

The worst affected area is the capital Honiara after the Mataniko River burst its banks on April 3.

Houses were washed away, the two bridges connecting west and east Honiara were destroyed and the International Airport was not operational for couple of days. Water supplies and infrastructure including sewerage and electricity have also been damaged. 

More than 450 mm of rain fell in just 48 hours (April 2 and 3) which is almost double the mean total rainfall for the whole month of April (257 mm).

At the peak of the crisis, there were around 10 000 people displaced in nearly 30 evacuation centers in Honiara.  

There are now 24 evacuation centers operational with over 9 000 people where signs of disease outbreaks are starting to emerge, particularly in children.

Honiara and some other areas of Guadalcanal island were declared disaster zones.

The Government is leading the response with the support of Red Cross, national and international non-governmental organizations, UN agencies and donor partners. On April 5, the Government requested the regional support of all Pacific Humanitarian Team clusters, with personnel and supplies arriving from April 7.

This was the worst flooding in Solomon Islands in last 8 years.

Featured image: International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement