The Story of Sea Mercy in Fiji After Cyclone Winston

Photo Credit Tessa Irvin

Below is an incredible video production by our friends at Telecine.ca that tells the story of Sea Mercy's efforts in Fiji following Cyclone Winston. It captures the volunteer heroes (captains, volunteers, sponsors) and the hearts and spirit of the people of Fiji who were impacted by this natural disaster.

As Sea Mercy winds down our 2016 Disaster Response & Recovery programs in the South Pacific, and with the dangerous and deadly results that Climate Change is producing, we are already preparing for not only "next year" in Fiji (continuation of current rebuilding programs), but also preparing for the "next one" (cyclone, earthquake, tsunami) no matter where it might hit; Vanuatu, Tonga, Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau, Solomon Islands, Marshall & Mariana Islands, or wherever we are needed.

JOIN US!
As a non-profit charity, we are always looking for those who believe in what we do and who want to help us help the often forgotten and "at risk" people living on the thousands of remote islands across the Pacific.

+ VOLUNTEER (medical, economic, education, disaster) 
+ IN-KIND DONATIONS (medical supplies, equipment, aid) 
+ FINANCIAL DONATIONS (individual, corporate, & foundation)
+ CAPTAIN & VESSEL (Floating Clinic, Disaster Response)
+ PROGRAM SPONSORSHIP

Please share this with your company, employer, family and social media network, and keep Sea Mercy and the people of the South Pacific in your thoughts and prayers as we enter the next cyclone season.

Visit us at www.seamercy.org to learn more about our programs.

Thank you.

Sea Mercy

Sea Mercy Disaster Recovery Video

Emergency Drinking Water - Lau Group, Fiji

In the Lau Group and Taveuni, over 90% of the clean drinking water supplies comes from water catchment (roofs/guttering) into water storage tanks. On February 20th, Cyclone Winston destroyed or damaged 80% of the homes and buildings, leaving the remote island villagers without the ability to capture and store enough water to get them through the dry season. We are now 4 months into the dry season and our greatest fears have become a reality and the people are now in desperate need of clean drinking water. With only undrinkable brackish wells to pull from, and 3-4 months until the rainy season returns, they desperately need clean water delivered to them immediately.

Sea Mercy’s dedicated Landing Craft was built specifically to carry a desalination unit that can not only generate 10,000 liters of pure drinking a day, but also carries over 400 meters of flat fire hose to effectively deliver that emergency water to difficult to access water storage containers in a village. Since June we have generated and delivered tens of thousands of liters of clean drinking water to the devastated islands in the Lomaiviti area. The Lau Group now needs us!

The current drinking water needs for the dozens of at risk villages in the Lau Group and Taveuni areas is well over 100,000 liters if they are to make it through the dry season. To meet the emergency needs there, we will be relocating our Landing Craft to Northern Lau group and Taveuni areas and staging the necessary fuel there to operate the Landing Craft for the next 30-60 days (until the needs are met). We are seeking assistance to help cover the fuel costs of sending and operating her there.

We have calculated the fuel needs at over FJD $10,000 in order for the our Landing Craft to generate and deliver the necessary water to the “at risk” Northern Lau and Taveuni remote villages. We are seeking donations and sponsors to help us offset these operational fuel costs. If you can assist, please use the link below to visit our website and make a secure donation (Credit Card or PayPal). Thank you!

http://seamercy.org/water

Northern Lau Group Recovery and Rebuilding Needs

Since May, Sea Mercy has had a fleet of volunteer sailing and motor yacht vessels performing remote island assessments and delivering emergency (food, water, shelter and medical supplies) and recovery & rebuilding aid to the devastated remote islands impacted by Cyclone Winston.

Our detailed and first-hand assessments of each island, coupled with the local leadership direction of Sea Mercy's Lau Fleet Director, Jonathan Robinson (S/V Chez Nous), has provided the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and our Fiji based leadership team with the most accurate information available to insure any "Sea Mercy sponsored aid" is delivered to meet those specific needs.

With regards to the recovery and rebuilding projects, we have not taken the typical approach of "build it for them" but instead, we are providing them with the tools, supplies and instruction they need to allow them to "build it themselves" and to take ownership of the rebuilding. This approach has had a huge impact on the recovery phase, but the vast needs on these remote islands far outweigh our resources.

As a result, we are creating a "NEEDS" page to share with those individuals or organizations who may wish to assist us (partial or full sponsorship) to meet the specific needs. Use the link below to access the list of items needed and to donate.

http://seamercy.org/NorthernLau