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HONIARA: Thousands of people fled to higher ground in the Solomon Islands after what government officials described as one of the worst floods in the region for 20 years.
The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) said late Wednesday it was assessing the damage in the northeast of the island of Guadalcanal, where more than 80 villages had been damaged in weekend floods.
More than 3,000 people were forced to flee to higher ground after the Mbokokimbo and Monga rivers rose eight to 10 metres and flooded riverside villages, the NDMO said.
Warren George, an elder of Tupa village near the Mbokokimbo river, was quoted by the NDMO saying most of the villages on the Mbokokimbo delta had virtually all their food growing areas devastated by the floodwaters.
"More than 95 percent of our food gardens are totally destroyed," he said.
"What makes the situation all the more difficult is the fact that even fruit trees like bananas that usually support us in these situations are also being destroyed."
"The people are suffering and they need immediate assistance from somebody, especially from our politicians," George said.
Most of the floodwaters had receded by mid-week and no casualties were reported.
- AFP/so
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