KEY POINTS:
The biggest challenge facing relief workers in the Solomon Island's after last week's earthquake and tsunami is the logistics of transporting aid, Red Cross says.
Speaking from Gizo, the island at the centre of the disaster, international Red Cross field coordinator Andrew MacAlister said, that 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 are very few roads, poor communication and not a lot of 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."
He said the low population was a positive factor.
"There are only 62,000 people in the whole province. The numbers of people aren't high, 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.
"The Red Cross has been distributing food and emergency supplies since day one and we're now up to a reasonably significant scale."
Five ships were out today distributing aid.
Since he arrived in Gizo on Friday, the key focus had been rapidly expanding the size and scope of the Red Cross relief programme.
The Red Cross is now moving out of the emergency stage to look at the longer-term recovery, including rehabilitation and reconstruction, Mr MacAlister said.
"The plans for that will take shape over the coming weeks."
For individual New Zealanders wanting to help with the crisis, the best thing to do was support appeals run by aid agencies, he said.
"That's probably the most effective thing that people can do."
There was still widespread anxiety amongst locals that another tsunami would occur, Mr MacAlister said.
"Most people live in villages around the coast. Basically everyone has left the coast in the whole province and they're living in camps in the bush, up on the hill, away from the sea."
Many people were reluctant to return to coastal villages, despite encouragement from other aid agencies and messages on local radio saying another tsunami was unlikely, Mr MacAlister said.
"Some communities have been really traumatised with the loss of their village or the loss of loved ones and everyone has to be able to respond in their own time.
"In some areas there's a rumour circulating that there will be another tsunami in two weeks' time so those people may not come down for two weeks."
He expects people will become more confident about returning to the coast as time goes by.
Since disaster struck on April 3, 37 people are confirmed dead. More than 30 people have been evacuated with serious injuries, 916 homes destroyed and more than 5000 people homeless.
- NZPA
