A man runs from Pam’s fury, Photo: CARE Australia
As surfers across the east coast of Australia celebrated a new swell last week, thousands of our island neighbors in the South Pacific faced devastation in the form of Tropical Cyclone Pam.
This is not a good news story. Fiji, PNG and the Solomon Islands are all, to some extent, surfing destinations and, along with other countries including Vanuatu, Kiribati and Tuvalu, their cities, villages and communities have been destroyed. The United Nations is calling Pam the worst natural disaster the South Pacific has ever seen. “Homes have been lost, crops are destroyed. The damage is enormous, and people need our help,” said Aurelia Balpe, head of the Red Cross in the Pacific. “Yet it will still take some time before we really understand the full extent of the damage. With more than 10 already confirmed dead and more expected, and thousands of people homeless, it’s a good time for us as surfers to come together and do what we can.
You can donate through the aid organizations listed below, or if you were ever considering a trip to the South Pacific, go ahead and book one for later this year. They’ll take a while to recover but it’s essential that these countries don’t also lose the tourist dollars they rely on. Chances are, many people will cancel their trips and you’ll have the waves to yourself…
Oxfam Australia : 1800 034 034
Australian Red Cross : 1800 811 700
Care Australia : 1800 020 046
World Vision Australia : 13 32 40
UNICEF Australia : 1300 884 233
Save the Children : 1800 760 011
Adventist Development and Relief Agency : 1800 242 372
To ensure your money is going where it should, these organisations are all members of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and are signatories to its code of conduct. If you’re in Australia, donations of over $2 are tax deductible.
Destroyed boats in Port Vila yesterday. Photo: CARE Australia
