SEVENTY five per cent of cash crops that islanders in upper Southern Lau depend on for their livelihoods have been destroyed.
This revelation follows an assessment by the government team visiting cyclone-affected islands in the Lau Group.
Many villages on Ono-i-Lau, Vatoa, Ogea and Fulaga depend on copra and the sale of pandanus leaves for income and are struggling to send their children to school because their only sources of income were destroyed by TC Ula.
Food security has been threatened but there is still good news.
Despite the damage, the team on the island said chances of recovery was between 35 and 40 per cent.
The villagers were encouraged to continue to plant seedlings distributed by the team because most of it will only take three months to mature.
Muana-i-cake Village headman Soki Lau said they were lucky none of their houses were damaged but he requested government assistance the replenishment of food ration to sustain them until the root crops matured.
Divisional planning officer eastern Eliki Masa advised the villagers that they could not make any promises because all requests would be submitted to the National Disaster Council that would meet on Friday.
All islands visited so far by the assessment team were badly affected by drought conditions with water sources on the islands drying up.
The assessment team is expected to visit Kabara, Namuka and Komo before returning to Suva this weekend.
