BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
A fragile calm has returned to Gizo, but for many residents, the morning light revealed a heartbreaking scene, one that will not be forgotten anytime soon.
Families woke up to find parts of their homes damaged, fruit trees ripped from the ground, and debris scattered across once-familiar surroundings after a long and terrifying night as Tropical Cyclone Maila tore through the island.
What stood the day before as places of comfort and livelihood now bore the scars of nature’s fury.
The cyclone began its assault at around 2pm on Wednesday, lashing the small island with relentless winds that continued into yesterday morning.
For hours, fear gripped communities as roofs rattled, trees snapped, and the sound of the wind drowned out all else.
Those most exposed to the powerful winds had no choice but to flee.
Families hurriedly evacuated to safer grounds, seeking shelter at the Seventh Day Adventist Church Hall and Gizo Primary School.
In the chaos, one family from a nearby island beside Nusatupe made a desperate journey to Gizo just before the cyclone struck, escaping what could have been a far worse fate.
At the busy MSG building, market vendors abandoned their stalls and ran for safety, eventually finding refuge inside the M.V Fair Queen.
Others, like residents of Paeloge, moved inland under dark skies, taking shelter in a small village at Mile Six, unsure of what they would return to.
When the winds finally eased, silence slowly replaced the roar of the storm.
By late afternoon, a sense of normalcy began to creep back into the town, but it was a different kind of normal.
Across Gizo, people emerged cautiously, surveying the damage with heavy hearts.
Yet amid the destruction, a quiet resilience began to shine through.
Neighbours checked on one another. Families gathered what remained.
And slowly, piece by piece, residents began the difficult task of rebuilding, patching broken roofs, clearing fallen trees, and restoring a sense of home.
Though the scars of Cyclone Maila remain visible, so too does the strength of the people of Gizo, standing together, determined to recover, and holding on to hope after a night that tested them all.
Photo credit: Ben Bilua
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