Cyclone Winston: Aid divvied out to Fiji's worst hit

(Newshub.)
(Newshub.)

The death toll from Cyclone Winston in Fiji keeps rising with 42 people now confirmed dead, Indra Singh, news director of the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation told Duncan Garner on RadioLIVE

It comes as some emergency aid is finally getting through to those in need, including $170 million dollars worth of supplies from New Zealand.

In the village of Togovere, the people were becoming desperate for the basic supplies for survival.

Sitting on top of the hillside, it's very exposed and many of the homes were completely destroyed.

For families who have lost everything, it is amazing how critical the contents of one small blue box become.

Sainivalati Rauqe is trying to provide for his family but four days on from the cyclone he had nothing left to give them anymore.

The emergency survival kits do just what they say on the tin -- filled with water, food and shelter. They don't have that in their house anymore -- in fact, it's amazing they have each other.

Many other villages are also in desperate need of the aid, which is frustrating says Rick Eyre of the Lautoka Rotary Club.

"It is very frustrating for me. Four days going out to villages and settlements and they haven't had any assistance. It's frustrating that these people haven't had assistance."

The packs were ready and waiting in Fiji before the cyclone.

Inside is enough lifesaving equipment to sustain a family of five. The Fijian authorities have put a lot of rules and regulations in place to make sure people take only what they need.

"I see the Government teams out there doing their assessments, and I understand the processes that they go through. We are working closely with the district offices and going to some places that they haven't covered, but we also feed them with information that they can use so that there is no double dipping of assistance."

These families have very little but at least they do now have enough to keep them going.

In addition the aid packages that are being given out, there have now been some ferry services to some outer islands with aid.

The Fijian Prime Minister says in the coming days he will make an announcement regarding plan for people who have damage to their homes or whose homes have been destroyed altogether.

Newshub.