The Fiji Red Cross Society has set up a cyclone response program that aims to better communication  during and after a natural disaster.

Called Restoring Family Links, the program allows family members to speak with each other through the use of satellite phones.

This is an initiative supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

FRCS Director-General, Ilisapeci Rokotunidau says they were able to help 157 Fijians through the program.

“The telecommunications go down and people are not able to call and electricity is cutoff and mobile phones are off so they can’t contact their families especially like the case we had in Lau where they were calling from Tonga and could not contact their daughters so and Red Cross was there with our satellite phones and they called us and we made sure during our sweep to connect the family from Tonga and the daughter in Lau in Lakeba.”

Rokotunidau says they will continue providing services as such in the future when a disaster happens.