People living in villages beyond Aruligo are now beginning to live life normally after being affected by the recent floods that destroyed countless homes and killed at least 13 people.
Solomon Times travelled to Tanaro village, north-west of Guadalcanal and, despite the destruction of the floods fury, villagers are now picking up slowly, trying their best to return to work to earn much needed income for their families.Speaking to an elderly man from the village, Mr. Martin Teni said that they are now returning to their coconut plantations. "It's hard work, we gathered alot of coconuts but they were washed away by the floods...so we have to start the hard work of collecting coconuts again."
Mr. Teni told Solomon Times that many people from his village earn most of their income from making copra. Solomon Times was told that with the setback, many villagers would be without money for the next few months. "We will have to work extra harder now, just so that we could have some copra to sell in the coming months," said Martin Teni.
"That is the only way some of us get money to buy things from town for our families, the months ahead will be difficult, but we will survive," an emotional Martin Teni said.
Mr. Teni also told Solomon Times that transportation is now returning to normal, much to the relief of many villagers. "Road constructors are rebuilding the bridges and roads at the north-west side of Guadalcanal, we are now able to move around from here to town."
The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) informed Solomon Times that assistance is now reaching a majority of those affected by the floods.