The deluge and the aftermath of the flash flood last week is displayed clearly in pictures in the Wednesday June 14, 2023 edition of the Samoa Observer.

Mother nature in its full fury does not know any mercy and this was experienced by the villagers of Saipipi in Savai’i last Thursday.

It is now a week and the people who have had homes and properties destroyed are awaiting relief assistance from the Government so they can rebuild their lives. The question is what is the type of help the Government is willing to provide for these families?

Will there be cash assistance? Will the families need to make the request to their members of parliament so it can be disbursed through the District Development Project?

Whichever way the method of disbursement of funds is, it has to be done sooner rather than later otherwise the people who have been left without homes will continue to be without one for a longer period of time.

Three houses and one shop have been completely destroyed after heavy rain last Thursday unleashed  flash floods that hit the village of Saipipi in Savai’i.

The Samoa Observer visited the scene of last Thursday's deluge on Tuesday and met with some of the affected families who appealed for assistance from the Government.

Levine Tofa, a neighbour who lived next to the devastated homes, told this newspaper that the affected families include those of Migi, Leulua’i Iakopo, Aupau Taminoga as well as Vaigā Siaki.

“It’s not safe anymore and we need the Government’s help," said Mr Tofa, who was lucky enough to escape the full wrath of the storm, with his property not far from a sinkhole created by last Thursday's flash floods.

The appeal by the villagers coincides with the plea in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday by the Members of Parliament, Tea Peato (Fa'asaleleaga No. 4) and Peseta Vaifou Tevaga (Fa'asaleleaga No. 5). The two Savai'i Members directly appealed to the Minister for Works, Transport and Infrastructure for help to address the damage to private homes, businesses as well as infrastructure.

The Fa'asaleleaga No. 5 M.P. said he had been raising the same issue since he entered the Parliament in 2011.

"This is not a new issue," Peseta said when he took the floor on Tuesday. "Even though what happened in Savai'i was quite unfortunate for our people residing in these vulnerable areas, I believe it happened for a reason.”

As highlighted by the M.P., this was not the first incident of a flash flood and there are areas in Savai’i which flood very easily especially vehicle crossings.

The Minister for Works, Transport and Infrastructure said during the launch of the Transport and Infrastructure Sector plan, that all the experts were in Samoa, so commission a feasibility study at the earliest possible and provide a way of mitigating the floods.

Perhaps the road works on Upolu can be delayed to give more attention to the infrastructure needs on the big island.

It now seems that every time there will be heavy downpour, Savai’i residents will get to experience the floods. That is what climate change has done to the world. Perhaps if there is no way of mitigating the floods, then the Government should look at relocation of the villages affected.

There is also a serious need to look at resilient infrastructure. Climate-resilient infrastructure refers to assets and systems such as roads, bridges, and power lines that can withstand shocks from extreme climate impacts. Infrastructure is responsible for 88 per cent of the forecasted costs for adapting to climate change.

A World Bank report finds that climate-resilient infrastructure investments in low- and middle-income countries could produce roughly US$4.2 trillion in total benefits, - around US$4 for each dollar invested. The reasoning is simple. More resilient infrastructure assets pay for themselves as their life-cycle is extended and their services are more reliable.

We need to have higher bridges and get away from the river crossings that are still found on both Savai’i and Upolu.

Good work was done by the Land Transport Authority and Samoa Water Authority in ensuring roads were accessible and water supply was restored quickly, however we need roads that do not get washed away every time it rains heavily.

We need water supply systems which can withstand floods. As the Minister for Works has alluded that all these discussions should take place when the budget is being debated, let us wait and see if that really happens.