News from Tubuai

We've heard from the family in Tubuai, the telephone lines are back up. They were very fortunate that their home was not badly damaged by the cyclone, though the island must be quite a mess, (pictures and an account of the devastation, in french). But islanders are resilient folks, cyclones are not that common, but they are part of life here. Polynesians have often had to start over in the face of disaster, Austral islanders in particular, are known for their hardiness and grit. It's estimated that the cyclone did 12 million euros worth of damage to the island. But people are already starting to clean, rebuild, repair. Life will go on.....