Still Flooding in Fiji!

It's horrible.  Most of Viti Levu is still under water and we're currently threatened by Cyclone Daphne, like the Weather Gods are on the warpath and determined to do us down. The photos I've been sent just break your heart.  I should show you some:

This is Nasoso where Molly, Colette, David, Jimmy and Mike all live:

Trying to spot their houses.

And this is their road home ...

... and how they have to get home:

 

 And here's what it looked like in close-up, although this is taken slightly further along at Lamaka, you get the idea:

However Jamie assures me that everyone's OK and are currently working at various evacuation centres around Nadi, set up to take in the 15,000 folks who are now homeless.

But how about this shot:

 

 It's especially tragic because I've shown you this street back during the Great Flood of 2009:

And those places where the flood has receded are heartbreaking:

 

That's the worst part of floods; the mud;  having to toss out so much. Poor Julie is currently mourning the loss of her photo albums but I'm mourning the loss of her Pacific Green furniture on her behalf because she had such treasures - the old furniture designed by the genius fellow who ran off to China a decade ago, after being bribed away from us with enormous sums of money, who had absolutely the BEST eye for furniture design I have ever seen, and I mean that on a global scale - and not the too clever-clever stuff they're making now. 

However everyone is still cheerful and I've seen some very funny shots:

 Yes indeed, only can anyone afford it?

 Tell that to the flood!

And several that are so sublime I probably shouldn't post them because folks will want to lift them:

 And here's absolutely the best one that most captures the spirit of Fiji in a crisis:

 

This photo is copyrighted so please don't download it! 

I once had a TV journalist in Australia tell me that the Australian media hates covering natural disasters in Fiji because they can never find anyone to cry for the camera and because people always look like they're having fun.  And it's true, we do, but nonetheless this is all very real and after our series of disasters (the last one the floods back in January - although this one is much much worse) everyone is broke, there is no money anywhere, and because everyone international hates Fiji because of Voreqe ...  

 

 "Our Evil Dictator" out-and-about, 

checking the damage and 

finding out who needs what.

... no one will come to our aid. Nonetheless, Fiji ex-pats are doing trojan work getting stuff donated and Voreqe has stopped tariffs on goods coming in, and Air Pacific is flying stuff to Fiji for free, so we'll get there for sure.  Fingers crossed!