The Solomon Islands Government is encouraging people to voluntarily leave evacuation centres and return home, with return assistance packages ready for distribution.

Only those whose homes have been wiped out by the floods will remain in evacuation centers to give them time to rebuild their homes.

A joint assessment of damaged Honiara households is underway, and initial reports indicate 253 houses destroyed and 30 damaged.

Ten schools are being used as evacuation centres and a total of 78 schools are affected in Honiara and Guadalcanal. Schools are due to reopen on 22 April.

A draft Humanitarian Action Plan has been developed by national clusters and partners for endorsement by the National Disaster Council.

A UNDAC team is being deployed to conduct an environmental assessment on a flooded and abandoned tailings dam at Gold Ridge.

 

Source: Press Release, Government Communications Unit