ROTARIANS Fiji wide have distributed over 600 food packs and 110 emergency tool kits to families devastated by the recent floods.
Rotary Fiji's past district governor, Warwick Pleass described the teams in the Western Division as the first on the scene responding to rescue calls as the first day of torrential rains hit.
He said Rotary had learnt from past disasters to be prepared and with funding from their New Zealand branch they had 1000 Emergency Relief Kits prepositioned for immediate distribution in the wake of the disaster.
"Rotary's relief efforts are focused on three donation kits; the food packs, sourced locally for initial response and valued at $50, these can last a family up to a week while Rotary week two food packs allow for a broader range of foods including sanitation items.
"The Emergency Response Kit; for families who have lost all if not most of their possessions in a disaster and these kits are valued at $900 and the shelter boxes which include essential items like in addition to a tent suitable for a family to live in. These are valued at around $2500," Mr Pleass said.
Rotarians from the Peninsula Sunset Club of Suva, the Rotary Club of Lautoka and the Shelter Box team were also in Sigatoka on Saturday to deliver food packs to more than a 100 families.
Rotary teams also assessed the damage in Nakabuta, Lawai, and Semo villages where plantations were completely destroyed cutting off food supply and supplied more than 50 families with emergency relief supplies of 50 food packs and 50 tool kits.
"Over the next seven days, Rotary will distribute 1000 food packs funded by AusAID valued at $100 each. 200 more ERKs will be distributed and 60 shelter boxes will provide temporary homes away from evacuation centres for those families whose houses are no longer habitable. In addition to other donations, Rotary will have committed more than 650 thousand dollars in the relief efforts," Mr Pleass said.