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Category: International Aid and Trade / Relief and Aid Organisations / Cyclones / Emergency Incidents

Traditional Fijian canoe delivers tonnes of aid to cyclone-ravaged town

Wednesday, 30 Mar 2016 17:24:21 | Bruce Hill

The Uti Ni Yalo delivered more than two tonnes of relief supplies to Levuka. (Supplied: Uti Ni Yalo Trust)

A traditional Fijian voyaging canoe — the Uti Ni Yalo — has carried tonnes of cyclone relief supplies to the country's old capital, Levuka, which was devastated by a category five storm in February.

Cyclone Winston, the most powerful storm to make landfall in the southern hemisphere, killed more than 40 people when it ravaged the Pacific nation.

The Uti Ni Yalo Trust, which owns the traditional canoe, sailed into Levuka where houses, schools and roads were destroyed.

"Levuka was one of the worst-hit maritime communities in the Fiji group post Cyclone Winston," Uti Ni Yalo Trust secretary Dwaii Qalovaki said.

"Our task was to carry two tonnes of relief supplies to the community of Baba."

Fijian Uti Ni Yalo traditional canoe Photo: The Uti Ni Yalo canoe uses solar-powered propellers to sail in low wind conditions. (Supplied: Uti Ni Yalo Trust)

The Uti Ni Yalo, which uses large sails to navigate the seas, was part of a fleet of traditional canoes that embarked on a voyage from Cook Islands to Sydney to highlight the threat of climate change in 2014.

Much like that epic voyage, the Uti Ni Yalo encountered difficulties with low wind conditions while sailing towards Levuka.

But the sailors were prepared for such contingencies.

"The Uti Ni Yalo is powered by nature, therefore we're a wind sail vessel," Mr Qalovaki said.

"We had optimal sailing conditions right through until Friday morning, when we hit a bit of a dull spot out at sea, so we dropped our solar-powered propellers and motored into Levuka."

Fijian Uti Ni Yalo traditional canoe Photo: A volunteer loads relief supplies destined for the Fiji's cyclone-ravaged town of Levuka. (Supplied: Uti Ni Yalo Trust)

Mr Qalovaki said the presence of the Uti Ni Yalo, which holds strong social capital in Fiji, gave victims an opportunity to come on board and share their experiences.

"A lot of the people that came through were very honest and their stories were really heartbreaking," he said.

The Uti Ni Yalo Trust, which works to advance sustainable sea transportation by rejuvenating traditional boat building, navigation and voyaging, is keen to play a role in future disaster relief efforts.

"We have extended our communication to the [United Nations] as well as the Red Cross and other international donor agencies that are here in Fiji coordinating relief supply efforts," Mr Qalovaki said.

"We have taken every opportunity to let them know that the Uti Ni Yalo is on standby and we are ready to assist in whichever shape or form we can."

"We have deployed out assets in the past like our satellite phones to Koroi [in Fiji] and some of the other affected maritime communities to uphold the communications in the islands until the infrastructure is restored."

Fijian Uti Ni Yalo traditional canoe Photo: The Uti Ni Yalo canoe was built as part of efforts to advance sustainable sea transportation by rejuvenating traditional boat building and navigation. (Supplied: Uti Ni Yalo Trust)

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