Solomon Islands Flooding: At Least 23 Dead, More Than 50,000 Affected

At least 23 people are dead in the Solomon Islands after torrential rain from a slow moving tropical cyclone caused rivers to burst their banks and send a torrent of water rushing downstream into low-lying, highly populated areas. Dozens of people were reportedly still missing more than four days after the floods first struck, meaning the death toll will likely continue to climb. "The death toll will likely grow. It will likely take until at least the end of the week before we get a firm figure," Andrew Catford, World Vision Solomon Islands' national director, told the Wall Street Journal.
Water from the Matanikau River destroyed bridges, homes and other infrastructure as it inundated the downtown area of the Solomon Islands' capital of Honiara. Homes and bodies could be seen floating amongst the debris carried away by the floods. Rural towns in the country's main island of Guadalcanal were simply washed away by the water, leaving no trace of life.
"This is unprecedented, and I've seen earthquakes and tsunamis and other very bad flooding incidents,”  the country director of Oxfam, Katie Greenwood, told The Guardian. “But this flash flooding is unlike anything that I've seen previously here in the country.”  Tragic tales of individuals being swept away by the powerful currents were all too common. In one such case, the Solomon Star reports that the body of a student who fell into a river on Thursday was recovered all the way out at sea on Saturday. Children were especially devastated by the abruptness of the flash floods. A three-year-old girl was left behind in the rush of evacuations, but was in safe keeping with a local college, the Solomon Star reports. However, other children were not so lucky.

 

 

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