The New Zealand Defence Force's P-3K2 Orion surveillance aircraft has assisted significantly in the relief efforts following the destruction caused by Cyclone Winston.
Fiji authorities say the NZDF has saved them days of onsite damage assessments and have enabled them to immediately secure international aid for relief efforts.
Lieutenant Colonel (LTCOL) Ilai Moceica, Chief of Operations Planning for the Republic of Fiji Military Forces says, “Without the Orion, we would have to physically visit the likely affected areas to assess the damage. That is how we did it in the past and that took days to carry out in a scattered archipelago like Fiji.”
He says information gathered from the Orion's aerial survey meant it was easier to identify the worst-hit areas.
Less than 24 hours after the category five cyclone thrashed Fiji on 20 February, an NZDF Orion undertook aerial surveys to provide Fijian officials with a clear picture of the damage it caused.
“The Orion’s aerial surveys enabled the Fijian Government to provide the international community, particularly potential donors, a glimpse of the devastation. By doing so, we were able to quickly secure assistance and support,” LTCOL Moceica adds.
He says the focus now is to provide food, water and shelter to areas in the red zone and to get essential services running again.
"The Government is trying to address all these with the aid of the NZDF as well as that of the Australian Defence Force and the French military.”