KEY POINTS:
The biggest challenge facing relief workers in the Solomon Islands is the logistics of transporting aid, Red Cross says.
Speaking from Gizo, the island at the centre of the disaster, international Red Cross field co-ordinator Andrew MacAlister said people lived in scattered villages around the coast on many islands.
The area comprises a large group of islands that are quite spread out. There were very few roads, poor communication and not many large boats, Mr MacAlister said.
"Therefore just the challenge of responding in this sort of environment is extremely difficult and it's one of the things that makes this different from disasters in other places."
The low population was a positive factor, he said, adding "there are only 62,000 people in the whole province ... but as a percentage a lot of them have been affected one way or another".
Mr MacAlister said the relief effort was now in full swing. Five ships were out yesterday distributing aid.
Since he arrived in Gizo on Friday, the key focus had been on rapidly expanding the size and scope of the relief programme.
The Red Cross is now moving out of the emergency stage to look at the longer-term recovery, including rehabilitation and reconstruction.
"The plans for that will take shape over the coming weeks," he said.
For individual New Zealanders wanting to help with the crisis, the best thing to do was support appeals run by aid agencies, he said.
- NZPA
