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Adi Wong / Supplied
Tropical Cyclone Yasa left destruction in its wake at Daku Elementary School.
Fijians in New Zealand, collecting relief supplies for villages devastated by Tropical Cyclone Yasa, are concerned that they will lose a special rights concession if their shipment arrives late in Fiji.
The Fijian government imposed an exemption on imports and donations of all disaster relief items on December 16, for 30 days, freeing them from tariff charges to benefit Fijians actually affected by Tropical Cyclone Yasa.
The exemption expires on January 15 and the Fiji National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) has not indicated whether it will be extended.
NDMO has been contacted for comment, but has not yet responded Stuff about the situation.
Supplied
Wakanavu Kava owner Saimone Lomaloma, right, is collecting supplies to send to cyclone-affected villages in Fiji.
Tropical Cyclone Yasa, a category five storm, devastated parts of northern Fiji on December 17, including Vanua Levu, Bua and parts of the Lau Group, wreaking havoc on homes, schools, community halls and farms.
READ MORE:
* Cyclone Yasa: Fiji Islands in disarray from ‘monster’ storm, extent of damage unclear
* Aftermath of Cylone Yasa: ‘There is a sense of care’
* Two Entire Dead Villages Destroyed After ‘Fierce’ Cyclone Yasa Ravaged Fiji
He left four people dead, including a three-month-old baby who died after a wall collapsed on him and his mother.
RNZ
Homes have been razed and people left with only their clothes on when Cyclone Yasa ripped through the island of Vanua Levu.
In the village of Yasa on Kia Island, only two of the 45 houses remained standing.
Wellington businessman Saimone Lomaloma, who owns Wakanavu Kava and sources products from Fiji, said his container of relief supplies is only 40% full.
He is concerned that he will not be able to ship the container to Fiji before the exemption expires.
Lomaloma has been collecting donations of second-hand construction tools, tarps, tents, reefer containers, medical supplies, clothing, and non-perishable items.
Supplied
The Lomaloma to Fiji container is set up at Crossfit FRF Gym in Lyall Bay, where people can drop off their donations.
“If we need to ship it on time, we will have to do it on New Year’s Eve, and even then, there have been shipping delays for it to arrive late at Fiji ports,” Lomaloma said.
He has created a Givealittle page to help fund shipping and transportation costs of $ 12,000.
“That is my main concern, because all these items are donated and we really want to help our family and friends at home.”
If the grant of special rights is not extended, people like Lomaloma will have to fork out thousands of additional dollars.
US businessman Nilesh Chand said that anything they ship will take two weeks or more to reach Fiji.
Different Fijian groups in California have been organizing fundraising drives and collecting items to send home, he said.
“We are still not sure what is going on, there has been no response to our inquiries about the service or how the supplies will be distributed,” said Chand.
“We are only collecting what we can and we hope that these supplies reach those most affected by the cyclone.”
