Cyclone Pam shift focus for USP Students

30 March 2015

Tokelauan law students attending the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Vanuatu fearful of cyclone Pam impacts on their studies with the disturbing trauma shifting focus.
 
One student stressed that there was no electricity or even connection to families from home who were no doubt worried. The great impact was that the focus was mainly on survival mode with no money and just hunger for food. But with all those concerns, the thought of school assessments, now behind, was always looming in the back of her minds, according to the final year law student, Apolima Tamoa.
 
“Cyclone Pam was the scarcest experience she’s ever come across, and wanted to leave the country during the event was happening”, she added.
 
Another student, Sooletaua Toloa, a fourth year law student, expressed her concerns on the difficulty on catching up on assessments, “she said it won’t be easy as lectures are very demanding”, according to a member of her family.
 
The strongest cyclone ever recorded in the pacific with its intense winds speed reaching 300 mile per hour, has left a massive trail of destruction with many going hungry and homeless.
 
Apolima Tamoa is the daughter of Anu and Faamanuia Tamoa from Atafu and Sooletaua Toloa is the daughter of Logo and former Faipule, Foua Toloa from Fakaofo.
 
Both students attend the Emalus Campus at the University of the South Pacific in Vanuatu.