Earthquake hits Marovo Lagoon

Another earthquake and tsunami hit Solomons (today): [http://www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/121/article_6386.asp]. Ozziegiraffe, if you are out there, will you PM or e-mail me? I would like to contact the owner of the 'new' Hapai Shop in Chinatown; his wontok are from Choiseul which was hit quite badly. Thanks

Hi Watsoff, see my comments here, as I saw this post before yours.

Hi Ozzie and thanks. Now there's the Lunga River bursting its banks and causing havoc. Will it never end? Hoping Kastom Gaden didn't get overly waterlogged ...

It was drizzling when I left Honiara on Wednesday, and the Solomon Star reported a Low pressure systems in the south and (I think) north-west of Temotu. We had a bit of a bumpy ride flying over it on the way to Brisbane, but nothing serious.
However, I am more concerned about 2 of my Solomon family who were waiting for a ship back to the Lau Lagoon to transport such essentials as drums of petrol and a fishing net. It was supposed to leave Wednesday noght.
There has been some damage to bridges on Malaita, but I am not yet sure where, so they might have trouble getting home through Auki, if the ship home didn't go. Also, school was due to start today, and I know several students who were still home when I left Malaita, who might be delayed.

I just read on Pacific Islands Report that the bridge between Auki and Malu'u was damaged, but I don't know how severely. And some leaf huts were washed away by the Lunga River a day or so ago, but again I don't know exactly where ... probably near the waterfront? Which means that could be close to Kastom Gaden. Now people living near river(s) are being asked to shift elsewhere, which, of course, isn't really practical. I'm worried about my family and friends living beside the Mataniko in Vara Creek.

Thanks for responding ...

I've been doing some research about one of the squatter communities along the Mataniko. I haven't heard any major problems. As usual, the biggest problems were caused by logs piling up against bridges.
The length of road between Dala (halfway from Auki) and Malu'u is the worst at present, with bridges yet to be upgraded. (There are quite a few). Hopefully, the CSP will replace them with iron ones as the did after the April floods between Malu'u and the Lau Lagoon.

Thanks for the info, I can stop worrying now. I read today that the most of the flooding was in/around the Sun Valley/Lunga Bridge area, which is fairly close to Kastom Gadens but there's no mention of KG being damaged, so hopefully all is well on that front too.