Samoa Post-Disaster Needs Assessment : Cyclone Evan 2012

Cyclone Evan hit Samoa in December 2012 and caused immense damage and significant losses. The value of durable physical assets across all economic and social sectors destroyed by Evan is estimated at Samoa tala (SAT) 235.7 million, equivalent to United States (U.S.) 103.3 million dollars. It has been found that 55 percent of disaster effects fall within public sector ownership, while the remaining 45 percent of effects are within private enterprises and individual ownership. This breakdown provides guidance on the sharing of responsibilities during recovery and reconstruction. The government is expected not only to take care of the issues that fall within its purview, but also to exercise leadership and guidance in relation to the private sector, with special reference to addressing the post-disaster requirements of the poor. In order of descending magnitude or intensity, the most affected sectors were transport, agriculture, the environment, electricity, and tourism. Though social cohesion and social relations were found to be strong throughout and after the disaster, with people supporting their extended families and communities well, some incidents of antisocial behavior were reported. This paper is organized as follows: chapter one is living with disaster; chapter two gives assessment methodology; chapter three deals with damage, losses, and needs by sector; chapter four focuses on economic impacts; chapter five presents human and social impacts and needs; chapter six deals with managing disaster risk; and chapter seven gives summary of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction needs.