Transcript
LOTI YATES: No we haven't really had a presence on ground yet but what we are getting is information that are coming in from various sections of the community in Temotu. We have the provincial police team doing the rounds in the islands feeding us with information. Basically what needs that have been identified so far is probably on water contamination. Now we are planning to do a water drop, there is a boat heading that way possibly tomorrow to the islands that have been affected by ash-fall.
KOROI HAWKINS: And how long will that take to get to them?
LY: Well the boat will take approximately 20 hours the MV Honorable is steaming that way covering the whole of Temotu under the franchise shipping arrangement. So we are hoping that what coconuts and what clean water they have, they will be using those until the boat arrived.
KH: I was hearing reports that there was only one family of about five or six people that were on the island that were taken off by police is that right?
LY: There were three people who were on that island on a mission to feed their pigs. And the police boat took them out I think it was on Saturday.
KH: Right, what happened to the pigs?
LY: I am not sure cooked I think.
KH: Now just in terms of the information I talked to a teacher on Fenualoa and people were sort of worried about what else to expect. I guess are you working on getting information out to communities in terms of what to do and all that?
LY: Yes we are using the media to do that our team here is working really hard to make sure that we have the appropriate information on what to do if the ash falls onto their buildings etc how to clean them up. What to do with your water sources you know those sorts of things we are getting those information out.
KH: Is acid rain an issue?
LY: Well I heard that, I learnt that there was rain last night I think in some of the islands out there so we have not really got any information back as to what the impacts back but like anything else when there is a volcanic eruption and there is ash hanging up there I am sure this situation will happen.
KH: And I suppose it would be difficult with flights sort of interrupted are there planes flying back to Lata now after the initial cancellation?
LY: At this stage no I am not sure I haven't heard of any of the flights being resumed. The metservice should have issued an all clear if this has happened but from the report I had this morning from the police that the boat that was deployed to the reefs this morning. They are saying that there is still ash coming out that the eruption is still going on maybe much smaller than it was when it first started but they can still see thick clouds coming out from the volcano.
KH: In terms of monitoring the volcano itself Solomon Islands doesn't have as dedicated a department as say the Vanuatu geohazards has does it?
LY: Yes. There is a dedicated unit within the ministry of mines and energy unfortunately they are just not capacitated to do this work. So what we have done was to activate the Melanesian volcanological framework which I actually contacted our colleagues at the geohazards in Vanuatu to provide us with the technical information.
KH: Right and what are they saying about the volcano?
LY: They actually said that it is about equivalent to level three, level three of the Vanuatu alert system and made some recommendations to do an aerial survey and assessment of Tinakula, an advice to the aviation industry which we have done and of course the lack of a seismic station to monitor current activities was also identified as one of the priorities that the Solomon Islands government needs to do. And the need for a permanent seismic station for future monitoring of that area.
KH: And has government responded to obviously initially the aerial survey option?
LY: Not yet because there is, there is still that area is still under the no-fly-zone because of the ash.
KH: Yes I guess looking forward to the future the thing with volcanoes is you cant really predict how long this event will continue?
LY: Yes you see that is the thing if we don't have proper seismic station there then there is really we can't really make out how long this will continue. And we are just hoping that it sort of slows down and goes back to its normal state in the next week or so.
