Cyclone Sandy Causes Minimal Damage To Solomon Islands
The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) has received reports of damage caused by Cyclone Sandy from around the provinces.
On Friday the 8th of March Tropical Cyclone Sandy was declared approximately 313 miles off the coast of Rennell Belona.
The Solomon Islands Meteorological Service cancelled all Tropical Cyclone warnings for the Solomon Islands on Wednesday, followed by all flood advisories on Thursday.
The cyclone is now moving southeast, has been downgraded to a category one and is moving away from Lord Howe Island in Australia which experienced winds of up to 150kms an hour on Thursday.
Reports from the provinces show that Sandy caused heavy flooding in several areas of Guadalcanal including: Tenaru in East Honiara, Boneghe, Vura, Kohimarama in West Guadalcanal and Metapona on the Guadalcanal Plains.
The flooding displaced 12 families in the Foxwood area and damaged food crops across Guadalcanal.
However overall, the damage to the Solomon Islands was minimal and the National Disaster Management Office has assessed that there is no need for a national response. Relief activities will be left to the respective Provincial disaster Management Offices.
Reports from the Provinces:
Rennell Island – High winds and rough seas, but no reports of property damage or casualties.
Bellona Island – There were no reports received from the Islands. However, from past experience, the Island is known to be resilient especially in dealing with cyclones.
Makira/Ulawa Province – No reports of any damage received except for the continuous soil erosion at the collapsed bridge at Waihauru.
Guadalcanal Province (Southern Guadalcanal) – A team from the Guadalcanal Province Disaster Office left Thursday morning to monitor and assess damage to all major rivers from Lunga to Mberande as well as areas from Poha to Selwyn College.
Heavy flooding was registered in the areas listed above, and normal to low levels of flooding in the remaining areas.
Food gardens along the road were impacted by flooding and could lead to spoiled crops. This is an indication that most food gardens in the Guadalcanal Plains would be affected and will become rotten and not edible in a couple of days’ time.
12 families living in a Pacific Timber quarter at Foxwood were evacuated yesterday to higher grounds after their homes were flooded. Total population for the 12 families is 47 including elders and children.
All roads and bridges liking the eastern side of Honiara to as far as Mberande and west side to Selwyn are seen to be in good state.
Honiara City Council – Damage to the St Nicholas area, Ranandi Dump site, Bariki area and Highway III (Lee Quo Kween Area)
Central, Western, Isabel, Choisel, Malaita and Temotu Provinces – No reports of damage or flooding
Forecasters predict the Solomon Islands could see more cyclones before the end of this season.
Neville Koop, Meteorology and Climatology Adviser, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, SPREP, told Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat, that a resurgent monsoon is in the region and it could produce more cyclones near the end of April or early May.
‘There is the potential for more strong cyclones in the region,’ Koop Says. ‘It’s just a question of where and who they impact. But I do think we could see another one or two before the end of the season that are category 3 or stronger.’
A new Tropical cyclone, named Tim, formed off the coast of Queensland, Australia on Thursday morning, however forecasters from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology predict it will not come close to the Solomon Islands.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Pradeep Singh said Cyclone Tim was about 810 kilometres off the coast of Cairns and heading southeast in the Coral Sea at about 20kms per hour.
"It's a category 1 cyclone but it is tracking to be a category 2 by the weekend, but then will start to weaken late on Saturday" he said.
