NIUE (12 Jan 2004) -- Australians Annie Franklin and Ian Gray ran Niue's only scuba diving operation. Now it's completely gone after Cyclone Heta battered the tiny Pacific island last week with huge waves and wind gusts of up to 300 kilometers per hour. "The huge majority of the coral has just gone," Franklin said. "We've done a few explorations just on snorkel because we've lost all our scuba gear, and the stuff that we've seen is just basically completely wiped out, nothing, just almost as if you can imagine the face of the Moon is what was this beautiful, colourful coral garden a week ago." Many of the 1400 people who live on Niue, fondly known as the "Rock of Polynesia", are trying to put their lives back together after losing their homes and businesses in the worst cyclone to hit the tiny island in recent memory. | | But despite promises of emergency aid from New Zealand, which already contributes an average of US $3-4 million annually, many islanders are thinking about leaving the smallest independent territory in the world. "It's very hard with two young kids where you are just trying to give them as much stability as possible and find a home for them," said Franklin. "And we obviously need to be able to earn enough money to be able to support a family. You know the future, the immediate future doesn't look particularly great, but we're hoping…" © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
