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visible in the imagery as were the areas affected by
the floods from China Town to Tuvaruhu. Following
these early reports, field assessment teams were
mobilised to assess the damage.
Initial damage assessments were conducted by a
range of government agencies and partners, including
the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), to
determine the extent of damage to houses and the
impact of the flooding on households. The surveys
used captured information on how households
were accessing safe water and basic sanitation. A
general assessment by the Ministry of Health was
also undertaken in each community to assess the
likelihood of any potential health incidences, such as
diarrhoea, malaria and dengue.
The assessments revealed that the area most severely
affected by the floods in Honiara were along the
Mataniko River and, in particular, around Koa Hill
where numerous houses were damaged beyond
repair. In other areas, houses were not badly affected,
however, surrounding assets, such as kitchens,
toilets, and food gardens were destroyed, impacting
livelihoods. For eample, the graphs below identify
the proportion of households assessed who were
left without crops and kitchens in Burns Creek. The
assessment helped identify the sort of support needed
by each household, making it easier for humanitarian
partners to provide targetted support ,such as cooking
utensils for families that lost kitchens, seeds and tools
for those who lost crops and shelter support for those
who lost homes.
The assessments also revealed that many families
did not have formalised land tenure nor did they
have access to safe drinking water and basic
sanitation prior to and following the floods. Technical
assessments were undertaken by the Solomon
Islands Water Resources, Lands and Geology
Departments, supported by SPC’s Applied Geoscience
and Technology Division (SOPAC) to map the impact
of the floods and assess other potential damage
from the heavy rains. High resolution photographs
and digital surface models were produced, using an
unmanned aerial vehicle. This imagery allowed the
mapping of affected areas and, in the case of the Gold
Ridge tailings dam, identified where water from the
dam had overflowed into the catchment. The latter
was a concern for communities living downstream of
the dam due to the toxic chemicals contained within
it.
Initial disaster assessments are important to assess the
specific humanitarian needs of affected communities.
These needs include the provision of shelter, food
and access to safe water and sanitation. Technical
assessments, on the other hand, tend to be more
useful in guiding recovery plans to help determine
relative safety of areas affected, as well as possible
mitigation options to be implemented.
Count of Kitchen Damaged
Proportion of Houses assessed with kitchens damaged
Kitchen
Damaged
39%
31%
Yes
No
Count of % crop Damaged
Proportion of Houses assessed with crops affected
% Crop
Damaged
25
0
75
50
100
15%
3%
9%
57%
16%
Team conducting initial damage assessment in communities (left) and assessing existing water sources available to households (right)