A freak cyclone in Solomon Islands has left one person dead, dozens of homes destroyed and thousands of people without their traditional food gardens.
Tropical cyclone Raquel brought gale force winds and heavy rain to Isabel and Western Province. Photo: Metservice
More than 150 buildings were damaged or destroyed after tropical cyclone Raquel swept through the Islands last week.
One person was killed after being hit by a falling tree and a further 8 people are missing.
The category one storm swept through the southern part of the country before being downgraded to a Tropical Depression on Thursday evening.
Initial reports from the National Emergency Operations Centre show thousands of food gardens have been damaged or destroyed across the islands with over 40-thousand damaged in the southern region of Malaita alone.
A spokesperson from the Red Cross says volunteers are in three of the four affected regions but they have to wait until sea conditions ease before they can reach the outer islands.