Update on Earthquake in SI

The world has been utterly changed by the internet, at least in some ways. A case in point: The following news came to me via an RSS feed from a blog set up by students who speak To'abaita. When we lived there 25 years ago, we would never have imagined such a thing.

We are grateful that the loss of life was not greater, but it will still be a difficult process to rebuild, since the country is poor, has little infrastructure, and consists of a lot more ocean than land.

In what could be the final death toll, 52 people have lost their lives in the earthquake and tsunami which devastated Western and Choiseul provinces two weeks ago.

The latest figure has been revealed by the National Disaster Council management Office yesterday.

Program officer, Julian Maka'a says the latest figures have been sent in yesterday by an NDMO officer sent to both provinces to specifically confirm the number of deaths.

He says Gizo island alone accounts for 33 of the total deaths.Maka'a says the new numbers came mainly from Nusa Baruku on Gizo which recorded 10 deaths, seven of whom are children below the age of five years. He adds most of the deaths in the disaster were children.

Maka'a says up to now there is no longer any missing people. He says nine deaths were reported from Simbo, two for Rannoga, another two reported from Vella La Vella and six deaths from Choiseul.

Maka'a says according to reports that came in so far, people from the Shortland Islands have not reported any deaths.He says although earlier reports suggested that four people were missing on Mono, they were later found.

Of course, in many other ways, the world has not changed at all.