HILO — Talaite Matai Bului had been keeping track of Cyclone Winston well before the storm made landfall on the Fijian archipelago, watching her Facebook feed fill up with posts from friends and family on the island as they made preparations.
Winston, a Category 5 storm that was the strongest ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, hit Fiji on Feb. 20. Wind speeds measured about 185 miles per hour.
In the aftermath of the storm, the Facebook posts Bului saw changed to images of homes and villages destroyed by the power of wind and waves. More than 50,000 Fijians are in evacuation centers, according to UNICEF New Zealand.
“It’s been hit before, but never like this,” Bului, who is Fijian and moved to Hawaii in the 1990s, said. “There are so many villages that have been devastated, some completely just erased from the face of the earth.”
Last week, after seeing a press release from the Fijian government detailing how people could send monetary donations to relief efforts, Bului decided to do something more. She reached out to Jim Mellon, director of international student services at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, and the pair discussed hosting an awareness event on campus.
Bului will be on the library lanai today and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mellon said he expects some international students to take part as well.
“People can see images and learn more about what happened, and (we’ll) accept donations, all of which go to the relief fund,” he said.
The university community has taken similar actions in the past in the wake of natural disasters.
“Students will (ask), ‘Can we do something?’” Mellon said. “Not only to raise awareness but to provide an opportunity for people to donate a couple of dollars. Students don’t often have a lot of money, but faculty and staff will be very generous.”
Other local efforts to help the Fijian people are taking place as well: the Rotary Club of Hilo is working with ShelterBox, a global Rotary partner, to send relief supplies to the islands.
ShelterBox sends essentials to distaster-hit areas; these typically include a relief tent large enough for a family, blankets, water storage and purification supplies, mosquito netting, and a tool kit, along with activities geared towards kids.
Each box costs about $1,000, and 2000 are needed to meet Fiji’s needs, according to a Rotary Club release.
The club has raised $28,000 towards the effort thus far.
To contribute to the ShelterBox effort, visit http://www.shelterboxusa.org and specify Fiji Cyclone Winston when donating.
For more information about the UH- Hilo awareness event, contact Talaite Matai Bului at 959-2744.
Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.