Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Solomons minister wants standby disaster fund set up

Posted at 20:49 on 24 September, 2012 UTC

The Solomon Islands Environment Minister, Moffat Fugui, says the country has got to change its attitude to disaster preparedness.

He has told Parliament that there has to be a budget allocation for an emergency standby fund to help the country deal with natural disasters.

Mr Fugui says the Government has to be ready to help the people affected by cyclones, earthquakes, droughts or floods.

“We need a standby fund as a good bulwark against disaster, of 6 to 7 million Solomons dollars. At any one time we need that money to be there so that if disaster should ensue, Mr Speaker Sir, we can use that money. At the moment we don’t have that so we need to change the budgetary support so that we can have money ready for this.”