Many of the items that are needed urgently by survivors on Samoa’s devastated coastal areas are reasonably available in Apia and food, clothing and medicine from Lions Clubs in New Zealand is already at the front line and being used.

The president of the Samoan Lions Club, Terry Betham, had already spent some of the $30,000 donated from New Zealand Lions Clubs, the Lloyd Morgan Lions Clubs Charitable Trust and from Lions Clubs International in Chicago, on food, clothes and medicine for distribution through Red Cross.

Mr Betham, a chartered accountant, said many of the items were reasonably available in Apia and other parts of Samoa that had not been so badly affected.

“The aid programme was being well co-ordinated by a National Disaster Group which is being chaired by the Samoan Prime Minister and Red Cross was making sure that the aid was not being duplicated and that it was being distributed in an orderly manner,” Mr Betham said.

The next stage of needing building materials, tools and skilled labour is becoming increasingly important as the reconstruction phase starts. Lions were joining other aid groups in sourcing and shipping these materials, the Lions Clubs district governor for Samoa, Mr Colin Twyman of Whangarei said.
ENDS