IMAGINE if your house was wiped out in a matter of minutes... that was the reality for thousands of Fijians last year during Cyclone Winston.
It was one of the strongest category-five cyclones ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere. Winds of over 300 km per hour flattened villages and cut a path of destruction across the country, taking lives and displacing thousands.
In the hardest-hit towns, up to 90 per cent of structures were completely destroyed. In just one night the cyclone caused over a billion dollars in damage and more than 540,000 people were affected.
And Papua New Guinea is still recovering from severe drought that wiped out crops and left 1.4 million people hungry.
Natural disasters are an increasing threat globally, particularly to our neighbours in the Pacific. And when disasters strike, it can take years to pick up the pieces. Not only are people affected because their homes or crops have been obliterated, but local resources and economies take a massive hit.
Here at UnitingWorld we talk a lot about 'building back better' - but what does it mean? It means that when we help communities to rebuild after disasters we make sure buildings will still be standing after the next cyclone!
It's slow work and there's much to be done with only a few cyclone-resilient buildings having been constructed since Winston. But when homes, schools and health centres are back up again, it means families are no longer in tents living by torchlight - they can resume school and work in safety.
Evidence tells us that being prepared before disaster strikes is the best way to prepare vulnerable communities so that disasters don't turn into tragedies. And so our commitment is to help train community leaders to identify risks and make changes to ensure that fewer people are killed in cyclones, floods and droughts.
We help plant crops that better survive disasters and the changing climate, and stock evacuation centres with vital emergency supplies. The reality is that disaster preparation saves lives.
You might have heard the saying "A stitch in time saves nine". Well, you might be surprised to learn that just $1 invested toward disaster preparation saves $15 in recovery efforts later.
Humanitarian assistance is vital, and when we work together we make a huge difference. But many more lives can be saved if communities are better prepared before disaster strikes.
UnitingWorld has created a Disaster Preparation Appeal to help communities to be better prepared before natural disasters hit. To donate or learn more, visit the UnitingWorld website.
